Eventide
by Oblivion-Time
Summary: Alice in Zombieland AU. I can see things. Terrible things. Things that people aren't supposed to see. Monsters exist and they are nothing like the boogeyman under the bed. It was my duty to protect my family from the invisible creatures, but my best wasn't enough. My everyday life slowly breaks apart when my boyfriend breaks up with me and a new guy enters my school.
1. Chapter I

**Eventide **

**Chapter I**

Darkness had never been anything I desired. Many fear the darkness, just like me. Children fear the darkness because the boogeyman could be hiding under their bed. Adults fear the dark because what comes out when night falls, like burglars who could potentially ruin your life. You never know where you're going in the darkness and someone could point a gun to your forehead in any given moment.

I don't fear the darkness because of thieves or mythical creatures, no, I fear the dark because what is _born_ in the darkness.

I can see things. Terrible things. Things that people aren't supposed to see. Monsters exist and they are nothing like the boogeyman under the bed. They are ruthless murderers who thirst for people's blood. I remember the first time I saw one of those monsters, my parents thought it was just my imagination, they never knew about the monsters. After that, I didn't say anything about them or else they would think I was crazy.

As I grew older, the monsters grew bolder. They could pace back and forth underneath my window, but they never made any attempt at coming inside of the house. They left behind large mysterious footprints from their massive feet and scratches from their claws. If my parents found them, they would definitely call the cops and things would get out of hand. I couldn't let that happen. Every morning at sunrise, I would give the excuse of taking a morning jog, when in reality I covered their tracks.

One terrible night, I couldn't keep my mother inside of the house. I could hear the monster pacing outside of the house, happily slurping up the saliva that dripped from its mouth. I screamed at the top of my lungs, cried my heart out, begging my mother not to leave the house. She promised she wouldn't leave the house and I was able to go to sleep, to the sound of the monster still pacing outside of my window.

She broke the promise. I awoke when the monster roared loudly and I saw my mother's car drive away from the driveway and the monster galloped right after it. That was the last time I saw my mother.

The next morning, she was in the news. Her car had been utterly demolished and her body was ripped into pieces, scattered all over the road. The police covered the whole event as an animal attack. The monster returned to my window that night with my mother's blood covering its jaw and claws.

My father didn't take my mother's death easily. We moved a month after she died and we never stayed long in each city. He never liked getting attached to a place since he was afraid it would slip away just like my mother had.

My father always looked at me with dead eyes, he knew I knew something important, why I was so reluctant to let her leave the house and why I had always wanted them to stay inside when the sun went down. He never questioned me, but I knew he hold me accountable for my mother's death. During a drunken night, he had said it right to my face. "I know it was you who killed her. Why else would you want us to stay inside of the house all the time? You are hiding something about her death. I know it."

Everything changed when we came to the small city called Death City in the Nevada desert. My life made an one-eighty and for the first time, I was okay with seeing monsters.

* * *

><p>In one hour the sun would go down and the monster will be outside of my window again.<p>

He blew it again. I had been waiting at the small café by the school for one and a half hour but he never showed up. This isn't the first time he stood me up. I'm getting really sick of this.

I unlock the front door to the apartment and I find my father passed out on the couch, bottles of booze littering the floor around it. Even after all of the years after my mother passed away, he still hasn't been able to coop with her sudden death. I never know where he works, only that it is when the sun is up, but he never told me where. All I really knew was that he brought in money for food and the rent.

Locking the front door behind me, I grab some leftover pizza in the refrigerator and heat it up. The microwave goes off after a minute and I grab my warm pizza and walk back to my room. The sun slowly starts disappearing from the sky. Soon it will be dark.

My phone buzzes and starts playing a little melody that came with the phone. I sigh loudly when I see it is my boyfriend calling. I don't really want to hear anything from him at the moment. He always blows off dates, never showing up and when he does come to the dates, he only stays for a couple of minutes before his phone goes off and he is off running without even an explanation. That is how our relationship has always been. He never explained anything, never said anything about him or what was going on in his life. He was like a wall, every question I asked him, he reflected it back at me and made me answer it. It was like talking to a wall.

I answer his call and lift the phone to my ear. "Hello."

"Maka, I'm sorry." He quickly apologizes.

"I guess I'm not going to get an explanation this time either?" I hope he will give me an explanation for his absence, through the past two months we have dated, he was always like a wall. A stone wall and my questions were like tennis balls, simply bouncing off the hard surface.

"Actually, there is something I need to tell you." His deep voice speaks from the speaker of the phone. His voice, it is so husky. "You know Jaqueline?"

I start nodding when I realize he doesn't see it. "Yeah, what about her."

My boyfriend has a gang of friends he's _always_ with. They are the only people who truly know him. He always put his friends above me, he never even hesitated if they needed help, but if I wanted to just spend some time with him, he had to check in with his gang if he had time for it. It was frustrating.

He sighs through the speaker. "I have cheated on you with her. It isn't the first time, we have done it more than three times at least during our relationship. I can't keep pretending like it never happened when I'm with you, I hope you can forg―"

"What?!" I shriek into the phone. "You expect me to _forgive _you for _cheating_ on me multiple times?! I can barely forgive you for constantly standing me up!" Tears start prickling my eyes. "It's over between us. Don't ever call me or talk to me again!" I hang up and I can't hold back my tears. They escape the prison of my eyes and roll down my cheeks.

He had cheated on me with his ex. He would rather go fool around with her than actually being with his girlfriend. That hurts a lot.

My life has always been very lonesome. My father hates me due to my mother's death, I can't have any friends because if they are out after sunset, I'm sure the monster will kill them. The only friend I have is Tsubaki. We only hang out at school, I have never ever let anyone know where I lived. If I brought someone home, even though they would leave before sunset, my father would be a problem. How do I explain my father's constant drunken state then? I wouldn't even want to tell them anything about my father or my mother. That is the one area I don't talk about, well, and the monster outside of my window.

My tears soak my pillow. My heart weeping out the sorrow.

He had been the first one I had really trusted myself with. He was my first boyfriend and first kiss, and now, my first heartbreak. Luckily, he wasn't my first love, I never had the chance of really loving him due to not knowing him. I don't even know why I went out with him for that long. It must have been his wild hair, hair products could even tame his hair even the slightest. His body was so toned and trained, every muscle perfectly curved and with the scar bisecting his chest. He always enjoyed walking around with no shirt, but he always refused to tell me where he got his scar. He refused to tell me anything about the bruises and the wounds that would appear on his body.

His eyes were my favorite part of him. Those deep ruby eyes of his, just as dark as blood. The first time I met him, I was enchanted with his eyes. His eyes always made an illusion of safety and familiarity. Looking into his eyes, I drowned in them and forgot everything about the monster outside of my window and about my sucky life at home. Everything was swept with the wind.

I would have called Tsubaki and told her about the break-up, but I was worried that she would try to get my address out of me and get out of her house. The monsters could take her and I wouldn't want that to happen to my only friend.

The sun went down behind the trees in the distant and slowly the shadows grew larger and the darkness grew thicker. The leaves from the bushes at the edge of our lawn rustles and two bright red eyes lit up in the darkness.

I should be scared, but after all of these years of being stalked and haunted by this monster, I'm not scared anymore. As long as I stay inside of the walls of my house, I will always be safe.

The monster stomps loudly toward the house. No other person can hear it stomping here while the claws of the creature digs up the grass as its being dragged on the floor. Saliva drips from its mouth and it gurgles loudly as it stares right at me. Its inhumanly large tongue licks its wounded lips as it stares at me with hungrily eyes.

He isn't going to get me.

I pull down the curtain, successfully cutting out the view of the monster. It must have stopped sitting like a puppy staring at the window since I can hear it stomping back and forth while its claws drag on the ground.

Gently, I weep myself to sleep, leaving the pizza uneaten and my homework half-done.

Tomorrow will be a rough day catching up on my homework and meeting my ex. I really don't want to look at him or talk to him. I won't be able to handle seeing Jaqueline and him together. Not now at least. Hopefully they will be "sick" and stay home.

As much as I want to believe them to be sick, I know they won't be.


	2. Chapter II

**Eventide **

**Chapter II**

As the sun's rays broke through the top of the forest, I was already dressed in my jogging attire. The monster growls loudly and disappears into the bushes. It is safe to go out.

My father is still out of it, most likely from the booze. Without even saying anything to him or waking him up, I walk out of my house and jog to the backyard where the monster left the grass wounded. It doesn't take long to fix the grass, all I need to do is making sure the dirt is covered with grass and my father will never find out. He has never been one to admire the garden and therefore never noticed the damages from the monster.

After fixing the grass, I jog around the neighborhood, meeting dog owners walking their dogs and old women and men in their robes taking their mail from the mailboxes. The sun keeps rising as I return to my home and quickly gets ready for school.

My father woke up and he isn't pleased at all, the hangover killing his head as he makes a hot cup of coffee when I leave the house. The bus stop grows larger and larger and the students living in my area are already waiting for the bus to come. It doesn't take long for the bus to come and pick us up and unfortunately, I'm the last one walking inside of the bus, leaving the chance of sitting alone a perfect zero.

Sometimes I really wished that Tsubaki could take the bus with me instead of that blue-haired monkey she calls her boyfriend to pick her up for school every morning. It would have been nice to have a friend on the bus, then again, it would make it easier for her to find my home. I couldn't risk that.

My eyes wander in search of an empty seat. My eyes find the first available seat beside a guy who doesn't even seem to notice me on my way to sit beside him.

"Excuse me, can I sit here?" I politely ask and smile toward him in hope of getting a good answer. A lot of guys going to Shibusen High are idiots, hopefully he will be nice.

Our eyes lock. He has blue eyes, the magical blue of a tropic ocean. His gaze sends shivers down my back and my fingers tingle with familiarity. I'm sure I haven't seen him before, at least not talked to. Maybe I have seen him in school but I never acknowledged his presence, but that still doesn't explain why I feel like I have met him before.

"Sure." He smiles politely back at me. That is the first time I notice his pierced ears filled with silver rings. "I'm Hiro. Hiro the Brave." He offers me his hand as I take a seat beside him. What's up with the weird name? It is just as weird as Death the Kid.

"Maka Albarn." I grab his hand and shake it. His grip is firm and his fingers are bony. "Have we met before?" It slips out before I even have the time to consider it. "I mean, I have a feeling like we have met before." I quickly release his hand and fists my red skirt in embarrassment. I shouldn't have asked him that.

"I don't think we have met before. This is my first day in Shibusen High."

Wait. Now? In the middle of the year?

He chuckles. "I know it is weird to transferee in the middle of the year, but I didn't like my last school so I transferred here. I have heard some great things about Shibusen High." Oh man, I'm so easy to read. Did he just say he heard great things about Shibusen? He must have heard that from teacher who turn a blind eye to everything. Shibusen High is far from being a good school. Half of the students are failing their classes and every day there are at least five fights. Heck, I'm the top student just after a few tests, instantly I got higher grades than any other students in the school.

The bus stops in front of Shibusen High. "I will see you around Maka." He smirks wide and flashes his white straight teeth. He turns away and disappears in the sea of students walking up the stairs to Shibusen High.

It didn't take long before I grabbed my school bag and followed the sea of students. The stairs were long and just walking up those stairs would make your thighs burn and shape your bump.

When I reach the end of the stairway, the day turns from okay to bad because my ex I dumped the night before, waits for me at the top of the stairs. His eyes wander from every blond in the crowd and I know he is searching for me because Jaqueline is a brunette, not a blond. I gasp loudly and I duck when his eyes start wandering toward me. The people around me give me weird looks as I walk. I keep walking while I keep ducking and fortunate for me, he doesn't notice me. As soon as I get inside of the school, I straighten my back and walk with my head high. It doesn't take me long to find my locker and I hum happily as I open my locker. Quickly I put my things inside and take out my books for my first class.

"You know you won't get rid of me that easily." As I close my locker, I jump up and through the ceiling in surprise. Beside me stands my ex, grinning that awful grin of his. That damned sexy grin. "Just ducking in a crowd won't be enough to shake me off."

I roll my eyes at him. "Soul. Go away. I don't want to see you. We are done. Go back to Jaqueline since you two seem so close." I push through Soul, roughly walk into his shoulder and heads toward my classroom. My heart clenches with pain and I feel like I want to cry again. It is foolish of me to feel this way since we weren't together for long and I never knew him really.

To my disappointment, Soul follows me. "I'm not going to leave you." I avoid his eyes as much as I can. "I know I screwed up, but I want you to know I will always be there for you. Just give me a call, I will come to your house in the middle of the night if you need me." Night. My house. No, that won't ever happen. The monster will be around and kill him off before he can even utter a single word.

"You were never there for me when we were together. Why should I believe you would be there for me now?" I walk inside of the classroom and successfully cutting Soul off by slamming the door after me.

When I take my ordinary seat beside Tsubaki, I see Soul looking inside of the window of the door. He looks at me, with the same boring facial expression as always before he look away, like someone had called his name, before he disappears.

"What was that about?" Tsubaki asks while she looks at me. "Are you and Soul arguing?"

I shake my head and put my things on the desk. "Yesterday after he stood me up, he told me he has been cheating with Jaqueline multiple times. So I broke up with him."

Tsubaki gasps loudly while she covers her mouth with her hand, her eyes are wide with shock. "What? You are kidding? Right? Soul wouldn't do that! I can't believe he would do something like that!"

Soul has a gang. That isn't a secret. Tsubaki's boyfriend, Black*Star, is in his gang and surprisingly, she and Black*Star never had this problem. Black*Star always showed up to their dates and didn't keep any secrets from her. They were like any other couple so how come Soul and I never was like that? They were in the same gang so shouldn't he care about his friends just as much as Soul?

I roll my eyes. Of course. He had lied to me so he could go to Jaqueline's house and fuck her. The only regret I have about Soul is that I didn't break up with him earlier.

The thing I never understood was why Tsubaki did and the others in his gang know Soul so well? They seemed to know him inside and out and I barely even scratched the surface of the mystery of Soul, and I had been his freaking girlfriend!

"Just drop it Tsubaki. He confessed he had been with her. I'm happy it is finally over." No, I'm bitter about this that my first boyfriend proved to be a cheater and an asshole. I couldn't believe I was with that kind of a person. "The relationship had been sour for a very long time. He stood me up on many dates and we were never even around each other except for the breaks in school, sometimes not even that. I didn't even know him. Every time I tried to get to know him, he passed on the question and turned it toward me. I can't be in a relationship with a stranger."

"Come here." Tsubaki says with her arms open and I find myself hugging her back, taking in her camellia perfume. "I know it must hurt. Ending a relationship that way must hurt, but listen to me. Soul wouldn't cheat. I don't know why he did it but―"

"No!" Instantly I'm out of her arms and I glare at her. "I can't believe you! Are you seriously going to take his side when _he_ is the one that cheated on _me!_" I grab my stuff roughly and I feel tears prickling in my eyes. "I can't believe you would stab me in the back like this!"

"Maka―"

"Save it!" I yell and I have successfully drawn the attention of the class that is inside of the classroom. I find myself taking a seat at the back of the classroom, far away from Tsubaki as possible.

Tsubaki looks sorrowfully at me with regret in her eyes. I can't bend now, I need to stand strong because I'm mad at Tsubaki for supporting _that cheater_ instead of her own friend. Sure, they had been friends before Tsubaki even met me, but she is my only friend and I could have used her support right now.

"Everyone." The teacher walks inside. "We have a new student in our class. You can come inside and introduce yourself."

My eyes widen when I catch sigh of the blond hair and blue eyes of Hiro. He confidently smiles toward me while he shoves his hands into his pockets, like a certain cheater I know. "My name is Hiro the Brave."

"Okay, Hiro, you can take a seat and open your textbook at the page 109. We will continue where we left off." Marie, our English teacher says.

I'm not surprised when Hiro takes the empty seat beside me, smiling wide toward me. "Told you I would see you around."

I find myself smiling back at him, the familiarity making my spine shiver. It feels good having Hiro around. He isn't a friend like Tsubaki, but it feels like he is _something._ Just someone to be able to talk to even though it isn't my problems, it feels amazing. Talking back and forth with him about the assignment and the text we had been going through, it felt good. It ended more like I had to explain every little part of the literature since he couldn't see the hints and loopholes in the text. He wasn't really a bookworm like I was, but it was okay since he was genuine and open about who he is. Being around Soul and never really knowing what was going on, it was a totally change talking to Hiro. I was kind of surprised at how much he shared about his passed school and about a fight about one simple pencil that had gotten him and the other guy expelled from his former school.

I giggle while I cover my mouth. "That is a very silly way of getting expelled. Starting a fight because of a pencil is ridiculous!"

He chuckles while he twirls the pencil between his fingers expertly. "Yeah, it was, the pencil kind of was the only gift I ever got from my father before he abandoned me and my mother. It is quite precious to me and I fear that I will lose it."

I stop giggling and my eyes lock at the blue pencil with the pink eraser at the top. "Is that the pencil?"

Hiro nods. "Yeah. I always take it with me wherever I go."

It amazes me how open he is about that. I know I wouldn't be able to talk about my mother without feeling the weight of guilt burden my shoulders. I would end up crying and it is better to keep it in the dark where the monster hides. No one would ever understand.

"What are you afraid of?" Hiro suddenly asks with curiosity in his voice.

I stiffen and the monster outside of the window appears inside of my mind. The image of my mother's dried blood on its claws and smudged around its mouth. "What my fear is?" I question stupidly.

"Yeah, you know my worst fear, so why not tell me yours. Life is all about give and take, right?" He is right. Life is about giving and taking, that was why my relationship with Soul ended because I was the only one giving and Soul was taking everything. He never gave something back.

"I guess." I sigh heavily, our assignment completely forgotten. "You have to promise not to laugh, okay?"

"Promise." He says quickly.

I gulp loudly and I feel a little nervous. I hadn't even admitted this to Tsubaki or Soul. He would be the first person. "I'm afraid of the dark."

He raises his eyebrow. "The dark?"

I blush and try to avoid his judging eyes. "Yeah, I guess I never got over the fear when I was younger. It has always been there with me."

"You don't need to be embarrassed." He puts his hand on my shoulder, successfully attracting my eyes to his blue orbs. "Everyone is afraid of something. Being afraid of the dark is actually very legit." He turns more serious as his smile drops and so does the happy spark in his eyes. "I mean, you never know what dangers that come out in the dark and disappears with the sun. Am I right?"


	3. Chapter III

**Eventide**

**Chapter III**

The bell rings and we are dismissed from the class. Hiro keeps looking at me with stern eyes. He is dead serious. Does he know about the monsters that lurk in the shadows of the darkness? It sure seems like it by the way he said it.

"I-I have to go." I quickly close all my textbooks and picks them up.

The seriousness washes away as quickly as it came and he is smiling once again. "Okay, I will see you around." He gets his stuff and gives me one hinting smile before he walks away from me.

I couldn't get him out of my mind. Was Hiro able to see them too? Does he know more about the monsters that I do? It isn't that hard to know more than I do since all I do know is that they come out at night and disappear before sunrise, they kill and feed on humans, but I don't know why really. The monster that has been pacing outside my window hasn't eaten a person in months, it seems like it doesn't need to eat people that often, or they eat something entirely different and maybe kill humans for their own amusement.

Walking out of the classroom, there were so many things on my mind. This Hiro person, he is something special. He seems to have an understanding for me and for the monsters in the dark. If he can see them, I need to know everything he knows in order to protect my father and the ones around me. I can't let that monster kill anyone because of me.

I wasn't even paying attention where I was walking, bumping into other students and took my math books instead of my bag with my sport clothes.

Tsubaki wasn't in the locker room when I arrived there. She did the right thing by avoiding me since I really need some time alone to figure things out. I can't have Soul and Tsubaki on my mind when Hiro is so much more important. We hadn't even known each other for three hours, but just in those mere hours he had occupied my mind.

As soon as Soul and his gang of jerks walk inside of the inside track course, actually on time for once, with Tsubaki walking beside her boyfriend, the air sizzle with tension. Two hot spots burn on my neck and I know that is from Soul's intense stare on me.

What is up with him?

"I want you all to jog around the track five times before you do twenty push-ups. Then you await further instructions." Our Physical ed teacher, Sid Barett says and I'm running on the track as soon as we are dismissed. To my displeasure, Jaqueline was quick to run pass me. Damn her, does she has to rub it in my face? She already got Soul, she won over me, but now she has to rub it in my face that she's _faster_ than me too! She may have her back always turned toward me, but I can feel her snickering in joy for being better.

"You know you don't have to look at her like that." Soul says when he catch up to me, not running pass me.

This day just turned really badly.

"It's none of your business." I wanted to add a mean comment, but that wouldn't make the matter any better. I'm very much scorn at him for cheat on me, but I have to focus on the good stuff. He was an asshole and now I'm free from him. "Or wait, I forgot, everything that goes on about your friends is your business."

"Exactly." Even though it was meant to be a mean comment, Soul had the ability of turning everything against me. "That means you are my business as well. You are my friend―"

"Save it!" I come to a sudden halt and Soul stops a few feet in front of me. This is the first time I notice his lack of shirt on his upper body, exposing the glistering curves of his perfectly shaped muscles. I hate him for pulling such a low trick on me. "We aren't friends. You are nothing to me. So why don't you run along and catch up with Jaqueline. You two seem to be such close friends."

Soul grabs my wrist when I try to pass him, successfully cutting my path off with his body. His face so close to mine I can smell the sweat odor off his body. His breath hitting my lips and his eyes stare into my own. "You know you can talk to me. About anything. I won't judge you or tell anyone. I'm all ears."

Oh, I want to give in so badly, to smash my lips against his and feel his body pressing against mine. I want him to crush me against his body while his hands hover over my back. The attraction I unfortunately hold for him is still painfully obviously there. "Never. Delete my number because yours is already gone." That's a lie. I still have it programmed in my phone. "I won't ever confine anything in you." Roughly I rip my hand away from his grasp and I push pass him.

"Then how about your mother? I have heard she died because of an animal attack." He says boldly and I feel the seriousness in his voice.

I stiffen. How does he know about her? I know I never told him anything about her or my father. It was on the news years ago, so how in the world does he know about it? Has he googled me and read the articles about her? There isn't any other possibility.

"That must have hurt consider she was your mother, but don't you find it weird that her whole car was utterly destroyed. You know a bear couldn't have done something like that." He's on to me. Does he know about the monsters too? If he knew about them, why didn't he ever tell me anything about them? Why is he hinting that my mother's death wasn't an animal attack? What is he getting at? This doesn't make any sense!

I clench my teeth, anger boiling in my veins. "Don't talk like that about my mother."

"You know something was weird about her death―"

Quickly I turn around on my heel and punch him hard in the jaw. "Shut up!" I exclaim and Soul gently cups his jaw, opening and closing it to make sure it is still intact. "She died because of an animal attack. Just leave it alone!" Without spending another second beside him, I took off running.

He left me alone the rest of the Physical ed class. Sid gave me a warning instead of sending me to the detention since this was my first assault on a student and it hadn't broke out into something more. The bruise on Soul's jaw turned blue and it looked quite nasty. Maybe I shouldn't have gone so hard on him, but he did deserve it, talking about my mother's death like that. He is right, it was weird because it wasn't an animal, but talking so bluntly about my mother's death did tear up some old wounds.

Throughout the class, Soul gave me apologetic looks but never did I acknowledge any. After the class Tsubaki had tried to talk to me but quickly I had taken my things and left the locker room, still in my training attire. Instead I changed inside of the school's bathroom.

So many things had happened, with Soul and with Hiro. They both seem to know about the monsters, but why now? Hiro's sudden appearance isn't a coincidence. Has Hiro's presence inside of this school pushed Soul somehow? But Soul never saw me around Hiro, I'm sure he didn't see me with Hiro inside of the bus and he isn't in my English class.

My eyes widen. Tsubaki is. She must have told them about Hiro, so does this mean they know Hiro from before? It does make sense, why would they react like this if they didn't know him?

Lunch finally came and I avoided the cafeteria because I know if I go there, there will be drama. Either with Tsubaki, Soul or Hiro and at the moment, I want to avoid it and be alone with my own thoughts. So I walk up to one of the balconies of the school, gently I dangle my feet over the ledge between the fence that frames the balcony. Time from time I take a bite of my sandwich.

"Is this your spot, or is it okay if I join you?" I turn my head and I see Hiro standing at the doorway. "If you want to be alone I could find some other spot."

"Don't you know where the cafeteria is?" I ask instead, putting my sandwich down in my lunch box.

"Yeah, some student showed me it but I would rather eat alone than to awkwardly sit beside some student I don't even know." Hiro smiles gently toward me. "So, can I eat with you? You are like the only person in this school I would consider eating with."

I smile kindly toward him. I can't say no when he is new. If Tsubaki would have denied me to eat with her when I was new, I would still be the lonesome kid. Well, I kind of am now when Tsubaki and I are fighting. More like I'm fighting with her, but it seriously hurt being left after a break-up when my only friend choses his side instead of mine.

"Sure. I don't mind." I take a sip of my water before I put it down.

"Sweet. Thanks." Hiro takes a seat beside me and puts his legs through the fence and swings them softly back and forth. He takes out a large sub with meatballs, dressing along with a mix of vegetables. He takes a large mouthful of his sandwich before he washes it down with gulps of his soda.

We sit in silence; the sound of his loud chewing is heard as we both stare at the view of Death City since the school is on a hill.

"Something is on your mind." Hiro states as he presses the last piece of his sandwich into his mouth. "Want to talk about it?" He says with the sandwich pushes against his cheeks before he washes it down with the last drops of his soda.

"A lot of strange things have happened." I say while I tap my index finger against my bottle. "This day hasn't really proven to be a very good one. Fought with my friend and my ex thinks everything is just fine between us and think we can be friends when he always stood me up and slept with his ex."

Hiro nods. "Wow, that's a lot on one day." Hiro says. "How are you holding up?"

"A little hurt, but nothing much. I can handle it." I take a sip of my water, leaving it still half-full and my sandwich half-eaten. I'm not feeling very hungry. Neither the sandwich nor the water was fulfilling.

Hiro gets up on his feet. "We should do something then. You know, to make this day better."

I giggle and pack my lunch into my bag. "I haven't known you for even a day and you want us to hang outside of the school? Slow down your horses."

He smirks and offers me his hand. "Then let's do something this weekend. We could hit the arcade, go to the movies or just for some ice-cream if you want."

I grab his hand and he helps me up on my legs. "I hope you aren't thinking of this as a date. I recently broke up with my ex and I wouldn't want anything new or anything romantic."

He nods and releases my hand. "Of course. It will just be something between friends." The bell rings and lunch is over. "I promise we won't be out after nightfall."

I smile as we both walk down the stairs to continue with our afternoon classes.


	4. Chapter IV

**Eventide **

**Chapter IV**

It was a drag finishing my homework that night since I didn't do the homework yesterday, so I had almost double work to do, but with my brains and shutting the whole world out, it worked out quite nicely. The sound of the monster pacing back and forth outside of my window proved to be some kind of a timer. He would walk back and forth about four times before he would stop and look up at my window, staring at me for a few minutes before he would repeat the process.

Then something happened.

I lay in the comfort of my bed with a warm blanket and a comfortable pillow, hearing the soft _tick-tock_ from my alarm-clock the wind blowing through the trees. The monster walks back and forth, dragging its claws as always.

My eyes snap open when I heard the monster gurgle on it saliva before it roars.

This is bad.

Quickly I throw my sheets off my body and leaps for my window, pressing my face and hands against the glass so hard it almost breaks. The monster doesn't look at the window anymore, it looks toward the road and while its claws clatter and the saliva watering the grass.

I have seen all of these signs before, these are the monsters hunting instincts. It is preparing for the kill. I can't let my monster go and kill someone, I have to prevent it as well as I can.

Quickly I push myself from the window and grab my trusty baseball bat in my hurry. I almost trip over my own feet as I run down the stairs. Ripping open the front door and hurrying out of my house, I find myself running toward the streets, totally forgetting about closing the front door behind me. To my utter surprise, the monster is gone. I don't hear its growls, stomps or its claws. The sound of the crickets fills the air and some cars in the distant, nothing out of the ordinary.

Something is wrong, very terribly wrong. I should be able to hear _something_ from the monster. It can't have disappeared already, the sun is still gone and the monster isn't _this_ fast.

"Kill…"

I gasp and turn around, the monster blocking my path to my house. It gurgles on its saliva while it cracks its head in an odd angel.

"Kill human… More souls."

It had tricked me! Since when did the monster start talking and grow enough brain to trick me out of my house! This shouldn't even have happened! The monster was supposed to stupidly be pacing by my window.

The monster leap toward me and I gasp loudly. It swings its massive claws at me. It was just a hairs breath away from the monster's claw digging into my side. The monster used his power from the swing my keep turning and his leg digs into my stomach, kicking me further away from the front door. The air leaves my lungs and I hit my head hard on the ground. Fortunate for me, it didn't cause me to get dizzy or pass out. Nothing too bad then.

"Soul!" It hollers loudly and jumps up in the air, raising its claws to dig into me.

I gaps loudly and roll out of the way. The claw digs into my short and breaks the fabric. Quickly I get up on my feet and dashes toward the front door. This is my last shot. My breath hitches as I push myself to run as fast as I can.

"Kill!" The monster gurgles loudly.

I gasp loudly as its claws dig into my thigh and I fall inside of my house. I cry out in pain but quickly covers my mouth with my hand. My father is still asleep. I can't wake him up. The monster rushes toward the open door but then bounces away, like he ran into a glass wall. The monster grows loudly while he tackles against the invisible wall, always failing at getting pass it.

Carefully not to hurt my already wounded leg, I get up on my feet and close the door behind me, locking it.

I clench my hand, fisting the damages fabric of my shorts while I squeeze shut my eyes. The pain from the three large gashes throbs painfully. It was a pain to clean it out with the left over alcohol my father had on the floor since he didn't have any rubbing alcohol. The wounds were deep and I would need stitches, but how could I explain these wounds? Animal attack? No, then I would have to admit of being out in the middle of the night and I wasn't.

Instead I used ordinary silver tape in an attempt of closing the wound. With the amount of silver tape I had to use in order to close up the wounds, my whole thigh including the top of my knee were covered with tape. This would make it hard for me to walk normally.

Limping back to my bedroom, I looked out of my window and there the monster once again stands, looking up at my window. Its right claws were covered with my blood. It smirked wide while its long tongue licked the blood away from its claws.

It's a disturbing imagine, instead of seeing the monster feed on someone else's blood, it was _my_ blood on its claws. For the first time in years, he actually got a taste of my blood and from the looks of it, he really does enjoy it since it grunts happily while he eagerly licks the blood from its claws. It cut his tongue on the claws, but it didn't let it stop him from devouring every drop of my blood.

I couldn't sleep that night. The throbbing from the wound was killing me. I got up from the bed to take some painkillers, but they didn't reduce the pain at all. The few hours of sleep I got was plagued with nightmares, which left me grumpy and my temper was reduced even further.

I didn't go on a jog that morning, instead I had to fight myself into a pair of jeans since the skirt wouldn't cover the tape. Limping out of the house with my school bag on my back, I grab my baseball bat and get it inside of my house before I cover all the traces of last night's fight.

When the school bus came, Hiro greet me happily and instantly, I feel annoyed and ticked off.

"What's up with you?" Hiro asks concern. "You look like a zombie."

He must be talking about the purple bags underneath my eyes. How gentlemanly of him to point it out like that.

_Get him back. Say something mean back._

"Speak of yourself, you look like a needle pillow with all the piercings you have. Have you ever considered of becoming one since you sure look hideous with them." My eyes widen. The words came so easily. It was never in my nature to make mean comments, but this one was so easy to say.

What is wrong with me?

Hiro's eyes are large in surprise. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. You just don't look in the best shape."

I sigh heavily, my eyelids feeling heavier than ever. "Nightmares. I couldn't sleep. And I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. It was the sleep deprivation talking."

The bus stops and Hiro and I get up from our seats. "Don't apologize. I know how frustrating it can be when you don't get enough sleep. Just make sure the teachers don't catch you sleeping or you will be spending the evening in detention instead of sleeping at home."

We walk up the stairs to the school and thankfully, Soul doesn't wait at the top like he had yesterday. Hiro and I parted ways when we both went to our separate lockers to then go to our classes. As I walk inside of my classroom, Tsubaki smiles lightly and waves friendly to me.

_Give her the finger. Show her that you are still mad at her!_

I give Tsubaki the most hateful look I can muster while I give her the middle finger.

Her face turns shocked and she covers her mouth with her hand.

I try to walk as casual as I can with my wounded leg, but it grows harder. It throbs harder than ever and I just want to curl into a ball and cry out in pain. The wounds were deep but it isn't supposed to hurt this bad. I cleaned the wound thoroughly so it couldn't be infected.

The classes were too long. When no one was watching, I would dig my nails into the desk and scratch the surface. My whole leg throbs in pain and I couldn't take it anymore. It hurt so badly.

_Then why don't you just leave? Nobody is forcing you to be in class._

I could leave class. I don't need to be in here. I could take lunch earlier, I certainly do need it.

Gathering my stuff and putting it inside of my bag, I get up from my chair and start to head to the door.

"Maka Albarn, where are you going? The bell hasn't rung yet." Our teacher Miss Marie says while straightening her back from kneeling in front of a student's desk. "You have to have an excuse to leave the classroom you know."

_Tell her off. Show her who is boss. You are Maka Albarn!_

My eyes narrows and I feel my hands clench. "I don't give a fuck if you give me your permission or not."

_That won't do. Do something dramatic and crazy!_

Marie gasps loudly. "Maka! Control your language!" Her eyes are wide and she covers her mouth in shock. It almost looks like she has witnessed a murder.

The stash of paper catches my eyes and a large smirk slowly spreads on my face. Quickly I snatch it off her desk. It proves to be the attendance list and with a quick "ritch", I rip the papers in pieces before I throw them up in the air. "I don't fucking care about attendance." The papers gently fall down on the ground and I slam the door shut behind me. My nails dig into my head and I stop a few steps away from the classroom.

Why did I do all of that? It isn't like me at all. I'm not this kind of person to pull stunts like this. Miss Marie and Tsubaki didn't deserve to be treated like that.

Gently I run my fingers through my pigtail. This isn't who I am.

_Rip the pigtails out. Be sexy and go wild!_

The bands in my hair fall to the ground and my hair tumbles around my neck and shoulders. My fingers wander to my buttons on my shirt and I pop the first button, revealing my collarbones. My eyes widen when I'm about to unbutton the second button. My hands freeze while I look of into space.

Why did I just do this? I _never_ wear clothes that show off my collarbones or any cleavage at all, not even when I was with Soul, I never wore anything that showed off skin. Not to be sexy or anything, this isn't like me.

I gasp loudly and I collapse on the floor, my right leg throbbing violently with pain. A sharp cry leaves my mouth before I bite down on my thumb. My whole leg is burning with pain, if I had a butcher knife, you bet I would cut off my leg without any hesitation.

The dismissal bell rings and my eyes grow wider. I can't let them find me like this.

Getting up on my injured leg, I grit my teeth in pain while I quickly limp away from the classrooms. As soon as I round the corner, I hear the classroom doors slam open. Quickly I limp to the balcony where Hiro and I had lunch and slam the door shut behind me. I breathe heavily and moan in pain. I'm not supposed to feel like this. This is too much pain for just cuts.

_Go mad, let go of reasoning and the pain will go away._

We are very high up. The pain is just so bad. It is unbearable.

_Then jump. The pain will go away then._

I should jump. The pain will finally go away and I will be free.

The doors to the balcony slams open and I can barely crack my eye open, but there is no need since I recognize the voice. "Maka!" Soul yells and I feel his hand on my cheek, forcing me to look at him even though I don't have the strength to open my eyes. "Shit! Where are you hurt? You need to tell me." Soul grips my shoulder and shakes me slightly. "Open your eyes, concentrate on me. I'm going to make the voices go away."

Voices? What voices?

_Bite him. Bite him now!_

A low growl escapes my mouth and I bare my teeth. Before I even have the chance, Soul's hand close my mouth and the next thing I know is an electric shock going through me and I find myself falling into restless sleep.


	5. Chapter V

**Eventide **

**Chapter V**

When I woke up, I was no longer on the balcony, or inside of the school. The blue walls are naked and so is the floor. The desk beside the bed has a stack of homework which seems to be untouched. Seems like the person owning this room doesn't spend much time inside of their room or working on their homework. The room is lit up with one single lamp in the ceiling and the room misses a window. This room misses that homey feeling. The nightstand only has an alarm clock and a photo. My eyes widen and my heart stops. In the photo, there stand Soul and another man. They both have white hair and red eyes, Soul is younger than the other man. Soul has a stronger jaw line along with the crazy pointy teeth while the other man has ordinary white teeth and a smaller face with strong cheekbones. The man is very handsome, but he is no Soul.

The doorknob twists and it creaks loudly as it swings open. "You are awake." Soul stands by the door before he closes it behind him. "You scared the wits out of me." Soul strolls to the bed and takes a seat on the edge. "How is your leg?"

I look down at my leg and I find myself in a pair of oversize sweat shorts which looks like they used to be sweatpants since the hem is damaged. My right leg is neatly bandages with white gauze and the intense throbbing of pain is completely gone. "It feels good. I'm not feeling any pain at all."

Soul smiles, not a smirk, but a real smile with his eyes sparkling. I like that smile much better than the grin of his. "Good."

This is my time to ask him questions, not the other way around. "Where am I? I'm supposed to be in school."

Soul chuckles, his white bangs gently caressing his eyelashes. "School is already out and you don't need to worry, you got excused from the rest of the classes so your attendance hasn't taken a toll." Soul finds my hand and sparks fly, my fingers tingle deliciously and I find my cheeks heating up. "And you are in my apartment. I took you here after you passed out."

His apartment. This is the first time I'm inside of his apartment. "How come you took me here? You could have just left me in the nurse's office instead of bringing me here."

Soul shakes his head gently. "I couldn't do that. Your wounds were out of their understanding." Soul squeezes his hand and moves closer to me, his eyes an intense scarlet. "I know where you got those wounds Maka. I need to know how you got them. I need to hear the words come from your own mouth."

My heart speeds up, not because of the closeness between Soul and I, but because of the sudden change of subject. Does he really know about the monster that lurks in the night? He has made a hint about it at the track field but how do I know he really is implying at _that._ I can't just tell him the monster outsmarted me and got me out of my house and attacked me. How crazy doesn't that sound?

"I don't know what you are talking about."

Soul sighs and runs his free hand through his hair, still having his other hand in mine. "Maka, that wound is made from claws and it isn't exactly from a bear or a wolf." Soul leans closer to me, his face about a ruler away from me. "And it isn't from any animal. Both you and I know what it came from. You can admit it."

This doesn't feel good at all. "Who is that person in the picture?" I change the subject in hope of getting away from talking about the monster.

"Don't change the subject. When you tell me what made those wounds, I will tell you who he is, deal?"

What, so this means Soul will really tell me something about his life? That guy in the picture must be someone important judging on Soul's large grin along with how they look at each other with that happy spark in their eyes. So look annoyed, but he still looks very happy.

Even though how much I would want to know about this mystery person, I don't know if I could tell him.

"What will you do with the information once I tell you? How can I know I can trust you to not throw me into a mental hospital?" I pull my hand away from his, his hand is way too distracting with how he brushed it with his thumb and the lovely sparks that flew on my skin.

"You can trust me because I take care of my own." Soul looks bothered. His eyes dart between my eyes and my hands on my stomach. I have a feeling he wants to touch my hands or just touch me in general, but why would he want to do that when cheated on me with Jaqueline, his ex?

Soul never talked anything about his and Jaqueline's relationship. He always shot me down and turned the tables around and asked me why I hadn't dated before him. It was Tsubaki who spread a little light over Soul and his relationships in general. She told me Soul had proven to go between girlfriends a lot. Before Jaqueline, he had already had three different girlfriends, they lasted about top two weeks to a month while Jaqueline lasted four months, that's double the time Soul and I lasted! Tsubaki said they got along very well, but then Soul just broke up with her from thin air. No one knows exactly the reason why Soul broke up with Jaqueline, but one thing is for sure, Jaqueline didn't like it at all.

When I heard about Soul and Jaqueline's past, Soul and I had already dated for one week. I was not pleased at all since Tsubaki told me only three weeks had gone by from Soul breaking up with Jaqueline and starting to date me. I always had that nagging feeling that I was just a rebound, but I didn't want to believe it. Soul was my first boyfriend and he wouldn't do something like that, oh boy I was so wrong. When I tried to confront Soul about it, he just swept it under the rug and never gave me any proper explanation. I should have known earlier I was just a mountain for him to climb and a rebound from his past girlfriend who he obviously was very fond of.

"We both know I'm not your own. We aren't dating and you aren't my friend." I say and as I suspected, Soul wanted to touch me.

His fingertips gently caress my bandage, following the edge of it before he caresses up my thigh, following the bandage tightly wrapped around my thigh. "I know, but we are more similar than you think. I know we are over, but I still want you to be my friend and I will do anything in order to be your friend." Soul doesn't bring up anything about our previous conversation, I must have successfully managed to dodge it, and it's the first time I managed to not get Soul to turn it back toward me.

"We aren't similar because I'm nothing like you. We were never friends, not even when we were together. We were never friendly toward each other before or during the relationship. So excuse me if I don't want to be your friend when you have hurt me. I don't want a person like you in my life. You only screw things up and I don't want that in my life. I wish I never met you because you have only proven to be a hassle and constantly stabbed me in the back." I say while I stare into his eyes. Gently I take his hand away from my thigh. "I need to go home before it is dark."

"Too late. It is already dark. It has been dark for about two hours." When I release his hand, Soul quickly snatches it back in his hand and gives it a squeeze. "And I want to show you something." Soul tugs at my hand, encouraging me to get up from his bed.

I don't know what is going on, but if it truly is dark outside, I won't be able to leave. The monster will kill me as soon as I step close to my house and I barely got away yesterday, how am I supposed to get away with an injured leg? If I'm going to be stuck inside of Soul's apartment, I could as well see what he wants to show me.

I try to get up from the bed as well as I can, Soul gently hoists me up on my good leg. Soul shows me out of his bedroom while I limp on my leg. Soul's hand stays in mine which annoys me. How many times do I need to deny him for him to stay away? If he is going to be like this, I will only end up a two-time loser.

As soon as we exit his bedroom, I'm met with the darkness that pours inside of the windows and the dimly lit lamps that holds the darkness away.

The rest of the apartment isn't much better. I see inside of the kitchen and that is very small. There is a very small wooden table with two very unstable chairs. The apartment only has the needed stuff, he doesn't have a Tv, but he does have a couch. Either Soul is poor and doesn't have the money for proper furniture and other assets for the apartment, or he considers himself that he doesn't need them. He does have a king-sized bed so I guess he spends his whole day in bed fucking some sluts or his exes, he won't ever get me in bed, that's for sure. Why do girls even want to be with him? He is an ass.

Because he has a hot ass and he is very sex.

Damn I hate how attracted I am toward him.

Soul gently tugs me toward the window, but I don't even need to look out of the window because I can hear growls, stomping and claws dragging on the grass. The monster is here. He found me again.

We reach the window and there the monster is. He growls loudly and looks up toward the window, his long tongue hangs out of his mouth and saliva drips onto the grass.

"Maka… want." The monster growls while his claws clatter in excitement.

"You can see it too, can't you?" Soul whispers while he squeezes my hand. "Don't worry. He can't hurt you in here. As long as you are inside, you are safe."

For the first time in a very long time, my heart speeds up when I look at the monster from the safety of a home. I'm not alone to see it. How can Soul see him? Why didn't he tell me earlier?

"The Kishin came here as soon as the sun disappeared. It has been standing by the window the whole time while he murmured your name. You need to explain your connection with it." Soul gently tugs me away from the window and forces me to take a seat on the couch, gently lifting up my legs on the couch not to hurt my wounds.

"Kishin? Is that what you call the monster?" I ask while Soul takes a seat beside me and gently pulls me down so my head rests on his lap.

"Yeah, now tell me about this Kishin. Tell me every detail including your mother's death."

That is all it needed, that one little part at the end of his sentence that shattered my happy smile I had always put up for all the years when my mother has been gone. Tears trickle down my cheeks and I burry my head in his stomach, successfully soaking his shirt. "It was one dark night, my mother needed to leave the house and I begged her not to, she promised she wouldn't leave and then when I fell asleep, I woke up to the sound of the car and I saw the monster run after it. I couldn't protect my mother. I'm a useless daughter. I couldn't protect my mother and now she is dead because of me. She is dead because the monster won't leave me."

Soul doesn't interrupt me, he gently caress my hair while he listens to me. It feels so good to have him touching me and comforting me now when I can't control my own emotions.

"You aren't useless. You can't blame yourself for your mother leaving the house. This took place nine years ago. You were just a little girl. You couldn't possibly protect your mother from a monster they couldn't even see. They wouldn't believe you and―"

I hear a loud thud and I shoot up from Soul's lap and I see the monster― Kishin, jumping toward the window just to be blown backwards, falling back on the ground. The Kishin growls loudly and its claws clatter loudly in annoyance.

"Change of subject." Soul's eyes are still frozen where the Kishin had jumped toward the window. "Tell me everything about this Kishin. How long has it been doing this?"

Soul's hand is on my neck while his other hand is on my back, it reminds me how Soul always used to pull me into his embrace and hug me for minutes. I always felt so safe and sound in his arms, it always made me feel like I was wanted and needed.

Almost as if Soul read my mind, he slowly pulls me into his embrace and he supports my leg so my wound won't twist by turning my body toward him.

"I don't know when it came. It has always been there as long as I can remember. It was always there outside of my window looking at me, occasionally it would leave when it saw someone to kill before returning to my window again. I always knew it was dangerous and I have to stay away from it. Recently it has grown smarter. Yesterday it tricked me out of the house by pretending to go on a hunt for someone, it has started to say words and drive itself crazier. That is all I really do know about it." I whisper into his chest, feeling the comfort of his arms around me and the intoxicating smell of his stingy and spicy scent.

"Do you want me to tell you what I know about the Kishin?" Soul whispers into my ear.

A shiver runs down my spine and I find myself wrapping my arms around his waist. "Please." I sniffle and the tears seem to be gone after the sudden attack from the crazy Kishin.

"This Kishin must be very old and obsessed with you. He has grown some intelligence over the years and becoming the last stage of the Kishins that is when they gain the intelligence of a human and can control their own craziness. Ordinary Kishins can't control their maddening urges. They kill every human they see and take their soul. That is what the feed on. A Kishin is those who have lost their soul to the madness and now they want to get it back by devouring innocent souls, the problem is with that they can never go back to being human anymore. Even if they can control their urges, they won't ever be able to be human again since they will always be monsters." I can feel Soul's hand move from my back to my bandage before he gently caresses it with his thumb. "They make other Kishins by infecting humans with madness. When it cut you, you got infected with it, remember today, didn't you feel like you were just so mad at everyone and wanted to punch their teeth out?"

My eyes widen. That is exactly how I felt. I was so mad and I wanted to hurt everyone and get back at them somehow. So I felt like that because of the Kishin poison.

"Yeah, but why am I feeling fine now? What happened after I passed out? You never told me anything about that."

"You are fine right now because I gave you the antidote. I pure the madness that had gotten inside of your body, then I took you to your apartment and made some calls. Kid took care about your absence and Stein came over and took care about your wounds. They were very ugly and had managed to get infected. Stein got them cleaned out and stitched you up. Then I laid you to rest, first shot is always the most exhausted for those who have been purified."

I pull away from Soul's chest and look quizzically at him. "How did you save me from it? What do you mean first shot?"

Soul chuckles and removes his hand from my thigh. He lifts his hand and then, sparks flies from his hand. Yellow electricity course over his hand before it disappears. "With this. This is a meister's most trusted weapon. It's called Soul Force. This is what we use in order to get rid of the madness, from the Kishins and from other meisters. We shock you and the madness purges. The Kishin turns into a pile of ashes, but you stay whole and better than ever. The first time can cause unconsciousness but after a few times you will manage to stay conscious, although you will still feel pain from it." Soul's hand then gently cups my hipbone, gently caressing it with his thumb, sending shivers down my spine.

"What are you talking about? Meister? What is that and why are you talking like I will be hurt by one of them again?"

"A Meister is what you and I are along with the rest of my gang. We all can see Kishins and we fight them in order to protect everybody else. Kishins have a tendency to go after Meisters so more will come." Soul's eyes turn a deeper shade of red and his features turn serious. "That means you are in danger. You need to protect yourself against them or you will die."

I flinch away from him. "Soul―"

"I'm serious. You need to be able to defend yourself. You don't know their fighting style and you don't know how to shot your soul wavelength in order to kill them. Tomorrow after school, you are going to come with me to our training ground and I will teach you." Soul grabs my waist and holds it tightly in his hands, like if I was supposed to run away. "You are one of us and it's my duty to make sure you can protect yourself against them."

He was right by holding my waist, because I was going to walk away. So Soul only took care of me because I was this kind of Meister. I'm like him, so he only took care of me and was with me because I'm a Meister. I was never his rebound, I was an assignment, a burden. I was never wanted.

"I need time for myself. I need everything to sink in." I say and I try to contain my sadness of this newfound piece of unspoken information.

Soul nods. "Of course, you can take the bed, I will sleep on the couch."

He didn't notice the sorrow that I was feeling.


	6. Chapter VI

**Eventide **

**Chapter VI**

Everything felt odd that morning. The way Soul looked at me and the small touches. When Soul and I were together, I always thought those were touches of concern and comfort, but now they prove to be touches of protection just because I'm deadweight.

As Soul and I had finished eating our breakfast, the front door slams open and I hear muttering from a man.

"I hope you have made some coffee because I need one right now."

Soul sighs from the other side of the table while he runs a hand through his hair. "No, you know I had the night off. Go and make some yourself."

The unknown voice is revealed, he walks inside of the kitchen and it proves to be the man in the photo. He looks even more mature in reality. His posture is much better that Soul's, he walks with a straight back and his shoulders pulled back while Soul slouches and hunches with his shoulders. I swear in a few years he will have a hunch on his back.

"Who is this?" He asks politely, while he takes off his jacket, exposing a nice white shirt with a collar. He looks like the perfect gentleman, the first one in the entire city. Why didn't I meet him before Soul?

I smile toward him. "I'm Maka Albarn."

He smiles back and offers me his hand. "I'm Wes Evans, Soul's brother." I take his hand and I expect him to just shake it, but he plants a kiss on my knuckles.

He is such a gentleman!

"Okay!" Soul exclaims while he take my empty plate and his own. "I'm going to give Maka a ride. So, we got to leave or else you won't have enough time to get changed before the school bus arrives." Soul puts the plate in the sink. "I will be back in a few."

Wes nods and releases my hand. "It was nice to meet you Maka, I will see you around."

I blink in confusion when Soul takes my hand and tugs me to the hallway. He gives me my jacket and we are out the door before I know it. Things just feel awkward. He doesn't say anything and I don't want to talk. The only thing I say is just to give him directions to my home, or I give him directions to a house that _isn't_ mine. When I see him driving away, I walk the last bit to my house and I get ready for school.

I was spacing out. It was hard to concentrate with the new information about myself. I didn't even listen to what Hiro said on the bus and he noticed it. He kept talking and talking and I felt guilty for not listening. It was just, all of this, this supposedly new me as a "Meister". This life that Soul had explained about him and his gang go through, if they are really fighting against those things, I wouldn't want to be a part of it. I would rather live peacefully and a normal life, that is what I always have wanted. I would get myself killed if I fought against Kishins. My mother always disliked fights, she would be ashamed if I joined Soul's gang and did such things. I just can't do that.

The only thing I want to do as a Meister, is to kill the Kishin that patrols outside of my window. That thing murdered my mother, if I can kill it, I want to kill it and that will be it.

The dismissal bell rings and lunch has arrived. "So, are we going to go to the balcony to eat our lunch? It is beautiful weather today." Hiro says as he packs his books inside of his backpack.

"You know it's always sunny in Death City." I smile while I stand up from my seat. "But I can't eat there today, I overslept today and I didn't have time to make lunch. I will have to go to the cafeteria and buy something." I dig for my wallet out of my bag before I pick up my books.

"Okay, then we will eat inside of the cafeteria today." We both exit the classroom and we head toward my locker. "How are you and that Tsubaki chick getting along? I heard you snapped at her and the teacher pretty badly. What was up with that?"

Oh crap. More lies will be served. "Can we just go to the cafeteria first? I need some water and food before I have this talk." I say while I open my locker and leave my books and notebook inside of my locker before I close it.

"Sure, whatever makes you comfortable."

We both walk toward the cafeteria and as soon as I enter, I can feel Tsubaki's and Soul's stares burn into me from the far end of the cafeteria in their special corner that occupies by Soul's gang of Meisters. I grab one of the many trays and get a bottle of water along with a sandwich. I pay for the food. Turning around, my eyes lock with Soul and a shiver runs down my spine. They look at me with the same expression as always, boredom and neutrality. I'm never going to be able to solve the mystery of Soul.

Tearing my eyes away from Soul's, I walk toward a table at the opposite side of the cafeteria where Hiro and I take a seat at. "So, what happened with you yesterday?"

The plastic around my sandwich rustle as I break it, retrieving the sandwich from the bag. I take a bite and chew before I swallow it. Never talk with your mouth full my mother always used to tell me. "I had nightmares that day, terrible nightmares and I couldn't sleep. It was the lack of sleep that was talking. I'm very grumpy when I don't get the sleep I need. I was like a ticking bomb just waiting to explode, and I did."

Hiro nods while he takes a bite of his sandwich. "I see. No one knew where you had disappeared at lunch and the whole afternoon. I came to the balcony but you weren't there."

"I'm sorry I worried you, but I really needed to go home and catch up on sleep. I almost passed out in school." I take another bite of my food before I wash it down with my water.

"Don't worry about it." Hiro smiles reassuringly. "I was thinking since tomorrow it's Friday, we could do something after school. There is a new movie coming out and it has gotten great reviews. It might be worth checking it out."

I giggle and I finish my sandwich before I take sips of my water. "Sure, it sounds fun, but just so you know it won't be a date. I'm not ready for any dating yet."

Hiro nods while he grabs my trash along with his, starting to crush it. "It's alright. It will just be two friends hanging out." He forms the trash into a ball and throws it at the trashcan a few meters away. It goes right into the can and he smirks wide while he puffs his chest out with pride. "By the way, I was wondering why you are limping. Did you hurt yourself on something?" His blue eyes turn tenser and more serious. "Or did something hurt you?"

My eyes widen and my mouth hangs ajar. Does he know about the wounds? I know I haven't been able to hide it well, but by the tone of his voice, I have a feeling he is implying on Kishins. If he knows about them, then how come he isn't with Soul and his gang? Is he a Meister as well? If it is Soul's duty to take care of me, then won't it be his duty to take care of Hiro as well, or is he already fully trained and therefore doesn't need to be trained? Everything has turned into one giant mess recently.

"I―"

"Maka!" I almost jump out of my skin when Soul slides onto my side of the bench and sits unnecessary close to me. "I'm going to wait for you at your locker when school ends so we can get out of school together." For once I'm actually happy he popped up from nowhere since now I wouldn't have to lie to Hiro. It doesn't feel good to lie and certainly not to Hiro, he has been so kind toward me. It isn't okay to lie to him like this.

"Okay, but if you aren't there when I have gotten all of my stuff, I'm not going to sit around and wait. You screw up before, don't do it again."

Soul smirks, showing off his teeth. "You bet I will be waiting for _you_." I feel Soul's fingers gently caress my hip. "Hey Maka, Physical ed will start soon. We better start going or else we will be late."

I shiver and I put my hand over his, taking it away from my body. "It doesn't start in―"

"Maka." Soul says sternly. "It will start soon. We need to go." He says slowly and coldly.

Physical ed doesn't start soon at all, it is forty-five minutes until it starts, but judging on the tone he is speaking in, I guess he has something he need to speak with me.

"Okay." I turn to Hiro. "I will see you in class later."

He smiles and nods. "Yeah, see you."

Soul almost drags me out of the cafeteria away from Hiro. He doesn't say anything until he pushes me inside of a bathroom and locks it behind him. "Why haven't you told me about him?" His body almost looms over me in a dominant matter.

"Why should I have told you? We are nothing, I don't have the obligation to tell you anything about my life, much less who I'm hanging out with. He is a nice guy and actually talks about himself. He isn't like a wall I constantly have to fight against in order to try to get to know him, he is sincere and very kind. I like hanging out with him." I straighten my back but I'm at least a head shorter than him now when he has straightened his hunchback. I need to look confident and strong.

"You don't know who he is. Hiro isn't a "nice guy," he is far away from that. You shouldn't hang out with him, you don't know what he is capable of." Soul moves closer to me, looking down at me. "He is trying to manipulate you and get you on his side. All he says about me is lies. He is a lying snake and he will backstab you. He will betray you."

I snort and look away from Soul, crossing my arms over my chest. "He never said anything about you, everything doesn't have to revolve around you, Soul. He has never said anything bad about anyone. He has never tried to hurt me, he has been there for me and cheered me up. He is very caring. It is actually nice to be around someone that actually talks about himself and doesn't always try to fight me off."

Soul growls loudly while he takes a step back, running his hand through his hair. "I know I fucked up and I know I never talked a lot about myself, I already know I fucked up majorly."

"And you don't have to justify your actions. We aren't together. Just get over yourself and go back to Jaqueline. You two were always cl―"

Soul grabs my shoulders and he smashes his lips on mine. My mind goes blank as he kisses me, his lips moving deliciously against mine. His arms snake around my waist and pull me closer to his warm chest while he caresses my spine with his fingertips.

I can't resist Soul. Heck, I missed kissing him, I missed him touching me like this and being with him like this. I kiss him eagerly back and my fingers find his white untamable hair, pulling him closer to me. He opens my mouth and his tongue greets mine. His tongue doesn't move lustfully at all, he gently moves his tongue with mine as he holds me close to him. My nerve endings are on fire and all I can feel is his hands on me and his amazing lips on mine and his tongue in my mouth.

Soul presses me up against the wall and his hands are on my thighs, hoisting me up. On instinct I wrap my legs around his waist, clinging onto him for dear life. His whole body is pressing against me, I can feel the curve of his muscles through his shirt and his strong hands on my bump, giving it a squeeze.

A squeak mixed with a moan escapes my throat and Soul's kisses turns hungrily. He assaults my mouth while his hands rubs and squeezes my behind, earning more moans which he successfully cuts off with his mouth.

Slowly I open my eyes and is met by Soul's closed ones. This isn't right. We aren't together.

I remove my mouth from his and instead his mouth finds my neck, kissing it deliciously. His teeth caress my skin and licks it before he plants kisses on it.

"Stop." I pant out. Eyes half lidded with the pleasure of the assault. "This is wrong."

"This isn't wrong. This is so right it couldn't get any more right." Soul murmurs against my skin while he kisses my neck.

"No, Soul." I unwrap my legs from his waist and untangle my fingers from his hair. "We aren't together. I don't want to be doing this after what you did." I hate myself for tearing up. "I don't want to be with you like this when you hurt me like that."

It seems to get Soul's attentions. He pulls away from my neck and instead pulls me into a gentle hug. "I'm sorry. I'm so terribly sorry Maka. I shouldn't have done that." He caresses my back.

I cry into his chest and find myself trembling. How can I be in his arms, letting him comfort me when he is the reason for my tears. I can't stay away from Soul. Not even after he hurt me so, but I can keep him away from me in a romantic matter. I can't let him hurt me again. I simply can't. Not under any circumstances can I give him the chance to hurt me again.


	7. Chapter VII

**Eventide **

**Chapter VII**

Soul did as he promised. As soon as I exit my classroom, I catch a glimpse of his white hair and his smirk. I can't help but giving him a tiny smile as I walk up to him.

"How was class?" Soul asks, moving aside from my locker.

"Good I guess, I got more homework." I say while I concentrate on unlocking my locker. It slides open and I pull out my homework and stuff them into my bag before I grab my jacket, putting it on.

Soul chuckles, closing the locker for me. "You are the only student who will have them finished on time. You have and will always be a very special person." Soul's arm wraps around my shoulders, pulling me close to his side while he leads me away from my locker.

"I got to. Our senior year is coming to an end and I don't know about you, but I want to get into college. I got to work hard to get into my first choice and take the courses I want to take." It feels so good being in Soul's arms, but I can't risk getting him close to me again. I grab his hand and removes it from my shoulders.

"You are such a nerd. A very cute nerd." Soul opens the door to the exit of Shibusen High and leads me down the stairs to his bike. "My favorite nerd of all of them." We find his motorcycle and he hands me his helmet. I put it on without asking anything. He revives the bike and I get on it, holding onto my seat instead of holding onto Soul. He drives away and it proves harder to hold onto the seat since I notice he is breaking more agressive so I would press against his chest and he turns rougher so I would automatically cling onto him, but I won't let him get that pleasure.

Fifteen minutes later, Soul pulls into an abandon road, it doesn't even look like a road. It looks more like grass that has been stomped down repeatedly. He follows no track at all as he keeps driving. After driving a curvy nonexistent road, a red barn comes into view along with other cars parked outside of the barn.

Soul stops the bike in front of the barn and kills the engine.

I try to get off the helmet but the clip has tangled into my hair.

"Let me help you with that." Soul turns around on his bike, facing me while he helps me get the helmet off of my head. His face is so near me and his eyes are focused on the clips. Gently he manages to work my hair out of it and successfully get the helmet off of my head. "There." He says while he puts away the helmet on the bike. He gets off the bike and I follow him suit. "This is our training ground. We train here every afternoon and prepare ourselves for the night."

We slowly walk toward the very large barn which could use a new layer of paint. "So is this where you always escape to?"

Soul nods. "Yeah, this is our place as Meisters to be who we are, where we don't have to think about our words or hold back our powers. This is sort of our sanctuary. Since we are fighting Kishins in teams, we need to always be comparable with all of the Meisters. You never know who we have to team up with."

Soul opens the door to the barn and I'm met with an image I never thought I would see with my own eyes. I see all of the Meisters in Soul's gang are gathered there, including Tsubaki and Wes and some other characters that I don't recognize.

"Maka!" I flinch when I hear the blue-haired idiot scream my name. "So you are finally with us, huh?" He runs up to me with his shirt gone. What is the deal with Meisters and shirts? Don't they know they are supposed to _wear_ them instead of them lying on the ground and collecting dust? "And by the way," I didn't expect it. His fist connects with my jaw and my head snaps toward the side. Did he just _punch_ me? "That's for hurting Tsubaki!"

"BLACK*STAR!" Soul exclaims and pushes him away from me. "You can't go and fucking punch her! She was under the influence of the madness! What do you expect her to do?!"

"Chill man. She is a Meisters. Meisters can take pain." Black*Star defends by holding up his hands in submission.

It is obvious Soul is the alpha since Black*Star becomes the underdog when Soul went up against him. "She is just as any other human. She doesn't know how to deal with pain or shot her Soul Wavelength. She can't do any Meister stuff except see Kishins." Soul grabs ahold of his neck and brings him closer to him, baring his teeth threateningly like a wolf. "Now apologize to her." He pushes Black*Star roughly toward me and he almost trips over his feet from the force.

"Fine, fine man. You need to chill." Black*Star rubs his neck. So Soul did hold his neck hard. "I'm sorry, okay, you just hurt Tsubaki and I hate seeing her cry."

"Black*Star." Tsubaki walks from her seat at the end of the barn and walks over to him. "It is alright. Maka was hurt and upset and I was a terrible friend to her. I deserved the treatment I got and she had madness in her body. She didn't mean to act like that around me." Tsubaki explains and that is the first time I hear her voice since our fight. The day after Soul and I broke up.

"I will go and change my clothes. Maka, I think you and Tsubaki have some things to sort out." Soul walks away after he pats my shoulder reassuringly.

Tsubaki slowly moves toward me while Soul grabs a hold of Black*Star and drags him away, Black*Star shouting loudly disagreements and how Tsubaki needs him. I giggle a little at the view of Soul dragging him away before Tsubaki cuts me off. "Can you forgive me Maka? I should have considered your feelings more than accuse you like that."

I smile toward Tsubaki and I nod. "I forgive you. I was stupid for holding you against it like that. You have your right to express your own thoughts and feelings and you do know Soul more than I do and you two have been friends much longer than he and I. I should have respected your own thoughts instead of blowing up like that. Can you please forgive me?"

She smiles wide and pulls me into a hug which I return immediately. "Of course I do. But are you okay with me talking about Soul's past with relationship? There is something I want to tell you."

I pull away and blink with confusion. "Okay, I guess. What is it?"

Tsubaki grabs my hand. "We will talk outside." She drags me outside of the barn and closes the doors behind us. "I still think Soul didn't cheat on you, he had always made sure to break up with his girlfriends before he moved on to a new one. He hates cheaters and he wouldn't become what he hates."

I sigh loudly. Here we go again. "I still think he cheated Tsubaki. He confessed to me that he did cheat and you know Jaqueline likes him. He just can't be in a relationship. He isn't a relationship sticker."

"I agree to a certain degree. Soul isn't a sticker when it comes to relationships, but he isn't a cheater. I don't know why he would say he cheated, but I know he wouldn't cheat on you. He has been avoiding Jaqueline as well as he can and he always talks about you around here. He constantly looks at his phone just hoping that you would call or text him. I know he doesn't show it, but he is sad." Tsubaki grabs my shoulders. "Whatever happens, I think you need to talk to Soul about your relationship. You need to talk about Jaqueline and where you both stand and want."

I sigh and look away from Tsubaki. "I'm fine without him. I don't want to go back to him because I don't know him. He is almost like a stranger to me and I want someone who can actually talk to me about himself and doesn't have to be on their toes around me. I never loved him or anything. I really liked him but I never was attached to him. I'm better off without him and searching for someone that is a person and not a wall."

"I see you have already made up our mind." Tsubaki says and releases my shoulders. "Just keep an open mind, okay? You never know what will happen in this world."

"Tsubaki." She is about to walk away when I grab her wrist. "Can you see them? The Kishins?"

Tsubaki nods. "Yeah, but I'm not a Meister like Black*Star or Soul, I'm not a fighter. I'm the medic in our group. It is my job to insert my Soul Wavelength into those who have been infected and get the injured either off the battlefield or heal them at the place."

So there are other types of Meisters as well, there isn't just fighting Meisters. "Is there other types of Meisters than fighting Meisters and medic Meisters?"

Tsubaki's face brightens up. "I'm glad you asked." She releases my hand and holds both of hers in front of herself. "Every Meister is grouped after the Meister's own Soul wavelength. The fighting Meisters have a stronger purifying wavelength and field medics like I have a weaker purifying wavelength, but they do have a healing wavelength." Tsuabki's hands then start to glow a faint blue color. "See, this is what a healing wavelength looks like. As soon as I put my hands over a wound, they slowly start healing and closing up." The faint blue glow disappears from her hands and she lowers them. "Then there are the doctor Meisters. Those are the ones who have the strongest healing wavelength. They are the ones that take care of the critical wounds since their wavelength can heal wounds much faster than medic Meisters, although, they don't have a Soul Force. They can't purify other meisters or kill Kishins. Do you understand?"

I nod slowly. "Yeah, I think I understand. So there are three types of Meisters, medic, doctor and fighter."

Tsubaki nods with a bright smile on her face. "Yes, exactly, as soon as you have managed to draw out your Soul Wavelength then we will know which category you will fall under."

My mouth feels bitter. Being a Meister is not what I want in life, I just want to get the Kishin away and move on. I don't want to be some kind of warrior or medic in a battle against the Kishins. "Tsubaki, I―"

The door to the barn cuts me off and out walks Soul in a pair of shorts and, of course, no shirt. They really can't wear a shirt. "There you are. We are about to start training." Soul smirks wide. "What were you two talking about?"

"Nothing important really, I just explained to her the types of Meisters there is and it is her wavelength that determines which kind of Meister she is." Tsubaki smiles toward me, giving me a wink, a wink that means she will keep our conversation a secret.

I smile back to Tsubaki with appreciation in my eyes.

"Okay, then come on Maka. Hopefully we will manage to get to know which type of Meister you are today." Soul grabs my hand, entwines our fingers while he pulls me inside of the barn. Tsubaki smiles from behind as she crosses her arms over her chest. Oh I know exactly what she is thinking, she is pleased with Soul's action.

However, I'm not pleased.

I retrieve my hand from his hand and give us some more space, but Soul has other plans. He moves closer to me but he doesn't touch me. "We are going to be in a different room. We will need some peace and quiet." We walk straight through the training grounds.

A boy with black braids whose name is Kilik is in the boxing ring with a pair of gloves on, going up against a girl with short blond hair. She has a wicked smile on her face, she has cut her hair since I saw her. Before she had long hair like her sister, but now it is short. That is definitely Patty.

Patty's blond sister stands with her gun and shoots at the targets alongside Death the Kid. He has a very interesting fighting style since he holds two guns and shoots with his pinkie fingers. It must be very exhausting since the guns shoot back in his hands and pulling the triggers seems to be a very difficult thing to do.

The gym seems to be the part of the barn that is the most occupied. Harver is lifting himself up on a bar fast and his back is glistering with sweat, another male who doesn't know what a shirt is. Chrona is doing push-ups, and finally, a guy who knows how to wear a shirt. On the treadmill, Jaqueline keeps running and running, her hair is in a ponytail and she is wearing skimpy gym clothes, only short shorts and a sport bra, which her nipples are visible through.

She gives me a glare when Soul opens a door and holds it open to me. She isn't pleased at all, she is the one who won, she should be happy. She got Soul.

I walk inside of the room. It is soundproof since the walls are covered with fabric and as soon as Soul shuts the door, the sound of the weights and Kilik and Patty hitting each other, it is all just gone.

"You won't be disturbed in here." Soul walks up to the single bed inside of the room and takes a seat on it. "Don't worry, I won't do anything funny. This room usually is used for resting." Soul pats the space on the bed beside him. "Come here. It is more comfortable sitting down that standing up."

I would rather disobey him and stand on my spot, but reluctantly I take a seat beside him. "Close your eyes."

If I want to be able to kill the Kishin, I will need to learn how to do this Soul Force thing. First, I will have to cross my fingers and hope I'm not the doctor type of Meister. Slowly I close my eyes.

"Souls are almost like our hearts, they are an extra heart sort of, but they aren't physical hearts, they are our mental hearts. Our soul beat at the same time with our heart." Soul moves on the bed so he is facing me. His hand finds mine and he puts my hand over his. "The first thing I want you to do is feel your heartbeat. Tap the rhythm of it on my hand."

"That's it?"

"For now, that is what I want you to do."

It is quite distracting to have Soul's hand in mine. My heart speeds up and it makes it more difficult to follow the rhythm of it. At first, I tap my finger very erratic, but as I slowly breathe and really find the pace of my heart, it becomes easier to tap it against Soul's hand.

"Good, now comes the difficult part, I want you to find your soul's rhythm. You know it is in the same pace as your heart, but you really have to feel your own soul because there is a difference to those two beats. I want you to tell me what it is when you find your soul's wavelength."

"Can't you just tell me? It might be easier to find it then."

Soul chuckles and I can smell his spicy scent. He is much closer now. "No can do. All soul wavelengths are different so I can't really help you on that, but there is something that separates the soul from the heart and that is something you need to discover yourself."

With the help of the tapping against Soul's hand, I tried to feel something underneath the heartbeat, something new that I had to discover. My heart beat in my chest, pumping blood through my body. What am I supposed to feel? All I can feel is my flesh and blood, no soul or this wavelength that my soul is supposed to give off. All I can feel is my own heartbeat, nothing more. What am I even supposed to be looking for?

"Okay, you know what." Soul says and gently I open my eyes. He has definitely moved closer to me since our thighs are almost touching and his face is really close to mine. "If I'm going to get you home before dark falls, we have to leave soon." Soul leans closer to me. "But one last thing, this might help you find your soul's wavelength." I freeze. Soul's hand finds my cheek and his forehead rests on top of mine. "Relax." He whispers while he caresses my cheek with his thumb. "Close your eyes."

I don't have a clue what he is doing, but I close my eyes and force myself to calm down by talking deep breaths. That's when I felt it, soothing waves coming at me. It was like feeling the regular waves of water hit me, just that it didn't hit me physically. I felt it with my soul. It is located right in the middle of my chest, below my collarbones.

"Can you feel it? Can you feel my soul wavelength?" Soul murmurs and I feel his breath on my lips.

I shiver. "Yes. I can feel it."

"Good." Slowly the feeling of waves disappears, but instead something else comes; his lips. His hand wanders to my neck and pushes our lips closer to each other's. He kisses me eagerly, his other hand finds my waist and pulls me closer to him.

It is surreal. I should be used to kissing Soul, but not now when we aren't a couple. He keeps pulling me into kisses, touching me like we are an item, looking at me with those eyes of his with such mystery, proving that I know nothing about him. Things have changed, I admit that, I now know where he lives and he has a brother, but I still miss so much about him. Kissing him is like kissing a wall, just someone that I don't know. I can't be with him like this, he is a stranger who cheated on me. That kind of person isn't welcomed in my life.

I look away from him, breaking our lips apart. "You can't keep doing this. This is not fair to me."

"What do you mean?" He asks.

I don't dare to look at him. My lips are throbbing and I bet they are swollen as well. "This, what you are doing. It isn't fair to me." I pull Soul's hands from my cheek and hip and place them on his own legs. I scoot away from him in order to get some space between us. "You can't keep kissing me and touching me like this when you are the one who hurt me. You're hurting me by doing this and I don't deserve to be used like this."

"So you think I'm using you for my own personal pleasure?"

"That is what I don't know since I don't know you, but that is what it feels like." I get up from the bed. "Just, take me home, save your hands for yourself and don't kiss me again."

Soul sighs. "Okay. You can practice at home, just so you know, we will return at night and take care of the―"

That is when I meet his eyes. "No! You don't touch it! That monster killed my mother! I'm going to be the one to kill it. You don't dare touch it or I will never forgive you!"

Soul's eyes aren't wide, but they are larger than usual. "We don't even know if you have the wavelength to kill a Kishin."

"And you aren't going to touch it. If it proves that I don't have the wavelength, I'm still going to be there and if it disappears, you and everybody else are dead to me."


	8. Chapter VIII

**Eventide **

**Chapter VIII**

"Okay students!" Our teacher Sid in Physical ed says. "Today we have a special student with us." The door to the gym opens and a person all dressed in white protective gear comes inside.

Tsubaki and I are standing at the front of the group with students and I can feel Soul staring into my neck, leaving two hot spots. Since I told him off, he hasn't touched me. He didn't break hard when I rode on his bike in order to get close to him. At lunch I sat with Tsubaki and Hiro while Soul sat far away from me beside Black*Star. Hiro and Soul definitely did _not_ like each other. They both ignored each other while Black*Star could give Hiro hateful looks.

"Today you will try out some sword fighting." Immediately the guys start to cheer happily and clap their hands. "I know you wanted it so now shut up so we can continue with the exercise. You are wasting time." The guys, except for Soul and his gang had cheered, which I understand, they fight with swords and weapons daily. This isn't anything new for them. The guys quickly shut up and look kind of offended. "I borrowed a student from the martial arts class so he will be the one to lead the class. You can introduce yourself."

The man dressed in white takes off his helmet and… it's Hiro. He smiles wide toward me. "My name is Hiro the Brave. I'm taking the martial art class and Sid asked me to do a lesson for you guys, so yeah, that's it." Hiro kneels down toward a bag that Sid had brought with him earlier and took out two swords. "The swords are very dull, but if you are hit, it can still hurt so I want all of you to go and put on the protective gear. It is inside of the gear room."

The guys all run inside at ones while Tsubaki and I walk inside of the gear room casually. The guys rip the gear off the walls and brings it out where they then put them on. It is kind of hard knowing which one to take because all of them are _really_ large. I grab the smallest they have and put it on outside of the gear room.

"Hey Maka." I turn around and find Hiro standing there with two swords in his hand. "I was wondering if you could be my partner, you know, show some stuff what you are going to be doing." Hiro offers me a sword, which I take, it is much heavier than I thought it would be. It will be hard to swing it around.

"Sure, you never said you took martial arts classes."

Hiro smirks while we head back toward the group. "Ditto, I don't know all of the classes you are taking, you know just like you don't know all of the classes I'm taking." Hiro leads me toward the front of the classroom and it is kind of embarrassing standing there in front of the class. Soul doesn't seem very happy because his mouth is shaped into a line and his face is tense.

"Maka will help me with the exercise. So you can team up in groups of two."

I thought Soul and Black*Star would team up, but Soul didn't even give him a single look and instead went up to me and Hiro. "The class are even to be divided in groups of two." He says without looking at Hiro.

"Okay, then you will be with Maka, but I will borrow her to demonstrate what you will be doing."

"No." Soul says.

"What do you mean no?" I snap at him. What kind of trick is he pulling this time?

"You are going to demonstrate with me. Not her."

"You aren't the one to make the calls. I'm the one who is leading the class. You follow my instructions and it is Maka I will demonstrate with." Hiro narrows his eyes at Soul and the space between them reduces. Oh, it looks like they are going to fight.

"You son of a―"

"Stop." Quickly I get between them and push them away from each other. "We are in class. Soul, Hiro is the one in charge. Let him lead. Don't go and pick on him." Soul growls and looks very displeased. He crosses his arms over his chest and takes a step backwards.

"Fine."

"Good, now I'm going to show you how to hold a proper posture." Hiro shows the whole class how to hold the sword correctly and have a nice stance. Of course the ones in Soul's group nail it immediately along with Soul. Black*Star and Tsubaki did group up and they seem awfully close to each other and may I say, kind of kinky with the sword. Black*Star stands really close to Tsubaki while she gently caresses his sword. I bet Black*Star would want her to stroke something else than the sword.

It was awfully awkward being around Soul. During all of the exercises he kept looking at me with those kinds of eyes. Eyes that send shiver down my spine with want to close the distance between us and kiss me passionately. The way his muscles curve underneath his shirt, stretched and moved was utterly delicious as he jabbed his sword at mine and successfully got my sword to fly through the air before he caught it in his hand skillfully.

"You aren't concentrating." Soul says while we stand in front of each other. He hands me back my sword, which I quickly accept without touching his hand. "Want to tell me what is on your mind?"

How the heck did he know that? I'm wearing the protective gear, which Soul refused to wear, it covers my whole body and my face. He can't possibly see that I'm not focusing. "I'm fine. You are just imagining things." I circulate toward the left and he follows my lead, sword raised and ready to leap toward me.

"You can't cover it up. I can see you are far away from here, tell me, what is going on? You can tell me anything." That is the problem. I _can't_ tell him everything. We aren't even supposed to be around each other because I'm mad at him and I want to hate his guts, but I can't. I just can't hate him for what he did toward me. It is so hard to stay away from him especially when he is like this, all kind and concern about me. I hate him for making me feel this way, I'm not supposed to feel safe and well in his presence, I'm supposed to want to run away and never see him again, but then again, I can't stay away from his eyes, his beautiful scarlet eyes. They truly are intoxicating.

"Just stop it." I say leaping toward him with my sword but he quickly parry by blocking my attack and switch places with me. "Stop acting concern when I know you never cared about me. Just stop with this whole charade. I told you to stop hurting me but you keep doing it again and again. Haven't you had enough of it all?"

Soul sighs loudly, running his free hand through his hair, a very Soul-like habit. "Maka, I'm not going to stop with anything since I do sincerely care about you. I did care about you all along and I'm sorry that I hurt you, but I'm not going to stay away because you know what you are and you are one of us and we stand up for each other. I'm not going to leave anytime soon."

His eyes. They are looking at me like that again. With concern and care. Why does he always have to do this? I hate it. Why does he have to play with my heart like this? "See! You only cared about me because I was one of you. You never actually cared about me as a person. It was all because of your damned duty. Do you even know how much that hurts?"

"I never―" Soul lets go of his sword and it clatters as it hits the ground. He takes a step toward me and I quickly point my sword to his chest. He looks between the sword digging into his shirt and me. That is when he slaps the sword away with the back of his hand and pulls me into a rough hug. "Listen to me. I was never with you because of some damn duty that you keep telling yourself. I was with you because I genuinely liked you. You are an awesome chick and very fun to be with. You are so interesting and―"

I can't help but to cry. Tears trickle down my cheeks and I'm very grateful for wearing the helmet. "Stop Soul!" I push him away from my chest. "Just stop playing with me! I'm not your personal toy you can keep toying with!"

"Maka, just let me explain―"

"No! I don't want to hear it!" I find myself walking away from Soul and the class. I exit the classroom and find a bathroom I lock myself inside. The tears trickle down my cheeks, while my heart bleeds.

He just had to play with my heart like this, haven't I already done enough for him? He was tired of being with me and playing with me, he went back to Jaqueline but still he keeps doing this to me. It is very hurtful and I can't take this kind of treatment from him. I can't be close to him knowing that he has hurt me before and he will do it again and again and again. I can't do that, that's just one of the things I can't do. What is he expecting me to do? He is just around there and hurt me with his presence alone, what is it he is trying to achieve by doing this?

I don't know, but he is trying to get something out of me. We never went the whole way, so is that what he wants? My virginity? Is all he cares about sex? It does seem like him since he couldn't keep it in his pants.

I can't keep sitting like this and trying to analyze him. He is a mystery and I know he is the only one I won't ever be able to figure out with the help of logic, and quite frankly, I don't want to know him. I don't want to know what drives him to do such horrible things and what it is that keeps him going. I don't want to know Soul. I need to break everything off with him. I will no longer train with him, I won't look at him. I won't let him come close to me.

Yeah, that seems like a good plan of attack.

After I wiped away the tears and my eyes didn't look so puffy, I walk out of the bathroom and heads toward the gym where our class takes place. I hope I didn't worry Hiro or Tsubaki. They must have seen me walk away.

Entering the classroom, I was not expecting to find this, the whole class standing in a half circle and cheering loudly and whistles. When I walk up to them and elbow myself to the front, I shouldn't be surprised when I see Hiro and Soul having their swords raised toward the others. Hiro's hair is ruffled and his helmet lies forgotten on the ground. Soul has a bruise on his cheek and his hair is even messier than it usually is. They are fighting and I really shouldn't be surprised since there has always been tension between them which would have to release sometime. This just happened to be the time.

Soul looks absolutely pissed off, he clenches the sword in his hands and if looks could kill, he would have killed Hiro over and over.

They leap toward each other, growling loudly. Their swords clash and I can barely keep up with them. All I hear is the clatter of their swords. They aren't playing around, they are going at each other with everything they got. If someone doesn't stop them, then they might end up killing each other.

I'm about to throw myself into the fight but then a hand lays on my shoulder, pulling me back. "This is their fight." I look over my shoulder, seeing Black*Star and Tsubaki. "Soul and Hiro need this. Don't interfere."

"What?" I look baffled at Black*Star. "But they will end up really hurting each other if this keeps going!"

"They need this to close their wounds. They can't move on if this doesn't happen."

Move on from _what_ exactly? So they did know each other before and now they hate each other because of it. What did they do toward the other?

Soul kicks Hiro in the stomach which sends him flying.

"HIRO!" I exclaim and I can no longer stand and watch them keep fighting like this. I run up to Hiro and he smiles weakly toward me.

"Oh, hi Maka, I didn't know you came back. Did you enjoy the show?" He looks kind of gone. His eyes are moving in circles and I swear I see stars over his head.

"Idiot! That wasn't a show! You were going at each other like you were going to kill each other!" I put my hand over his. "Are you hurt? Do you need to visit the nurse's office?"

"Don't worry about me." Hiro gently sits while he rubs his back. "I'm fine. I just need to walk it off. I will be fine in a couple of minutes."

"I'm glad to hear that." I smile toward him before I turn toward Soul who stands a couple feet away from us, completely dumbfounded. I glare at him. "Don't you know better than to engage in a fight like this? You two are crazy!"

"But he―"

"No buts!" I stand up and glare at him. "You should know better! I can't believe you would actually hurt someone like this! You are unbelievable!" I help Hiro up on his feet and he starts to walk away, winching in pain. "I have had enough of your stunts, just leave me alone already! I don't want anything to do with you!"

"Just let me explain―" Soul looks pleadingly at me. Wow, I can actually read what he is feeling for once, but it is too late now.

"No! You could have explained a long time ago but you chose to keep everything a secret! I'm sick and tired of you! Just do me a favor and leave me alone! I don't care about you anymore! I don't want to see you ever again!" I turn on me heel and catch up with Hiro, leaving Soul and the whole class behind who had silently watched everything unfold.


	9. Chapter IX

**Eventide **

**Chapter IX**

Soul and Hiro had to go to the office and they both had been suspended from school for a whole week. I had waited outside of the headmaster's office for Hiro to come out and when he finally did, so did Soul.

He had looked at me with those eyes of his, pleading me to get closer to him and talk to him, to let him explain, but I simply looked the other way. I can't let him keep controlling my feelings and my actions, from now on I'm going to be the one in charge of myself. I can't be manipulated by him ever again.

"So, what do you want to order?" Hiro says, successfully snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Oh." Quickly I scan through the menu. Pasta, fish, meat, there were all kinds of foods to a good price. "I think I will go with the pasta dish."

"That one sounds very good." Hiro's eyes wanders along the pages of the menu. They light up and a smile spread on his face. "I think I will go with the steak."

We sit in an ordinary restaurant on the underground level with walls like the ones in a cave, with touches on the walls and red table clothes. Okay, maybe not ordinary, maybe slightly over the ordinary with a slight touch of fancy in it.

It doesn't take long for the waiter to come and take our orders and return with our drinks a couple of minutes when the waiter had disappeared. I take a sip of my ice-cold tap water while Hiro takes a large gulp of his cola. "There is something I want to talk about." Hiro says while he looks at the dark and cozy cave inspired restaurant.

"Sure, what is it?"

Hiro's eyes wander to mine, he gazes seriously at me. "Soul has told you about Meisters and Kishins, right?"

My eyes widen. This confirms everything, he does know about them. "Yeah, Soul has. He told me about the types of Meisters along with the different Soul Wavelengths. Right now I'm trying to feel my own soul." Why not be completely honest about it now when its confirmed?

Hiro nods interestingly. "Can you tell me exactly what kind of Soul Wavelengths there are?"

I raise my eyebrow. Why does he want me to do that? "There are three types of wavelengths, the fighter, medic and doctor wavelengths. They are―"

"Did he only tell you about them? Nothing about the fourth?" He doesn't look even the slightest surprised.

A fourth? If there was a forth wouldn't Soul have told me? Tsubaki should have told me that at least. "No, what are you talking about a fourth wavelength? What is that one?"

"I'm not surprised he didn't tell you about it." Hiro chuckles and leans back in his chair. "The fourth wavelength is the most powerful and it is really rare among Meisters. Those who have that kind of souls we call Grigori. Grigori Meisters are those who have the strongest purifying wavelength. Their wavelength is so strong it can slow down and even stop the madness from spreading in their bodies. Grigories are the ones the Kishins long for the most since they are the ones that "purifies" their souls the most, when in fact they don't do anything to their own souls."

"Where are you going with this? Why are you telling me this?" I ask.

Hiro smirks, leaning closer to me. "Let me tell you, people who have gotten madness into their body, they aren't able to walk around like you managed. They drop to the ground as quick as it has gotten inside of their bodies and the madness paralyzes their bodies. It would take them an hour before they turn into a Kishin. While you, you went on for hours, you were able to walk around almost like usual and it took hours before you broke down but the madness was far away from taking over your body."

"What are you saying?"

"What I am saying is, I'm not one-hundred percent sure and I bet so is Soul's group, but there is a strong possibility that you are a Grigori Meister."

I? A Grigori Meister? "If I am a Grigori Meister, does that mean I will be able to kill Kishins with my Soul Force?"

Hiro nods. "Absolutely. Grigori Meisters are the strongest fighters. A normal Fight Meister would take near a minute before the Kishin would die, but a Grigori, it only takes a few seconds. Some Grigories are so strong they can kill a Kishin with just a simple touch." Hiro leans toward me and his eyes are tense. "Everyone wants a Grigori Meister in their group. You aren't just in danger for being killed by a Kishin, but from other Meisters as well." Hiro lays his hand over mine. "You are very lucky you have been able to conceal your wavelength so well. It wasn't until I had been hanging around you a lot I felt small sparks of your Grigori soul. I'm still not sure but it has high purifying wavelength."

I blush and I try to look away from Hiro, but his blue eyes as enchanted me. "What will I do? What am I supposed to do?"

Hiro smirks. "What are you going to do? Learn to defend yourself and conceal your wavelength of course. You need to keep your soul a secret from everyone or else people will hunt you down. This might sound scary, but you need to learn how to survive in this world."

My heart beats fast and hard in my throat and it feels like I'm going to pass out. So much information in so little time. "Why me Hiro? Why did I have to get this sort of soul? I just want a normal life."

"I'm sorry Maka, you can't change your soul with some fancy plastic surgery, you are a Grigori and you need protection. Maka, let me help you with your soul wavelength."

Without even thinking, I nod. "Please, I don't want to die. I need to take care of my father."

"I understand and I will help you with it. It is too dangerous to do soul practice in public since you never know if a Meister of a different group is around."

If this is true, why didn't Soul tell me this? Why didn't Tsubaki tell me? There must be a reason for them to keep it a secret, but I thought Soul had finally started to open up to me but that was just pure crap. A large pile of stinky crap a dog newly made.

I run my hand through my hair and the waiter comes with our food, except that I had lost my appetite. Images of other people coming after me and my father filled my mind, how they broke into my home and threatened my father, my drunken father. He may hate me, but he is still my father and I love him. I can't let my father suffer more because of the Kishins. I need to protect him that is my duty for being cursed with this soul, my mother died because of it, now I need to protect my father with everything I got.

"Hiro." I play around with my pasta. "Can we please leave? It is going to get dark soon and I really want to be home now."

"Yeah, sure."

Hiro got me a box which I put my food in it. We got up on the ground level of the restaurant again and as soon as I see the outside, fear paralyses me.

"This isn't supposed to happen." I say and quickly look at my watch. "It is still an hour left before sunset! So how can it already be dark?"

The outside is already dark. The moon is already out and the sky is a dark blue, not even a slightest sign that the sun has just gone out. Outside of the restaurant I hear the sound of the claws of my Kishin drag against the hard concrete. It doesn't take long until I see the massive body of the Kishin come into view, leaving a trail of saliva behind.

"Oh no." fear grows in my body and I take a step backwards. "Will it be able to get inside?"

The people eating on the ground level give me weird looks but I don't pay any attention to them. My eyes are lock at the Kishin licking its lips and his claws clatter in excitement. "Don't worry. He won't be able to get inside." Hiro puts his hand on my back comfortingly. "The restaurant is going to close in two hours then we will be forced to leave the restaurant. We will have to leave the building at one point and that Kishin won't leave until the sun comes out or till we come out."

This isn't good at all. I'm going to have to leave, and when we do, it will kill me. It is far too fast and now when it has gotten a taste of the main course Maka Albarn, he will be driven to get me once and for all. My father's apartment is too far away for me to run to unharmed and we both came here by foot so there won't be a vehicle.

This is the end.

Tears prickle my eyes. "What are we going to do? It won't leave, it will kill us."

Hiro's arm crawls around my waist and pulls me close to him. "Don't worry about it." Hiro grabs my hand with his free hand and puts it on his hip. Something hard shapes his pocket. "I'm always armed. There is a fast food restaurant that is pretty close to here and it is open until sunrise. I will keep the Kishin busy while you run. You don't look back, you just run. Don't worry about me, I promise you I will catch up with you."

"What if―"

"No, don't think about me. You will run. You can't fight it. You will only be a burden if you stay. You will run, understand?" Hiro says roughly, his nails digging into my waist.

I gap. It is true. I can't do anything. I don't know how to fight or handle a weapon. I don't even know if I would be able to stab the Kishin, it is alive and I have never hurt anything, not even stingers when I have been stung. How will I be able to kill something like that?

I sniffle and I feel tears trickle down my cheeks. "I― I understand." My heart beats in my chest so hard it feels like it is going to pop out and walk away. "I'm scared." My whole body trembles like a vibrator. My kneecaps are nonexistent and if I were to take a step forward, I would fall down to the ground and turn into a mush of fear.

Hiro's grip on me tightens. "I understand, believe me, I do. Even if you are scared, you need to get a grip over it or else the fear will paralyze you and you will end up dead. It is scary but you can't let yourself die because of your own fear. Claim your right to live by getting control over your fear. Start by closing your eyes and taking deep breaths."

My eyes slowly shut and I take long and shaky breaths. I hear the Kishin growl and the claws clatter hungrily. I need to ignore it and focus on my own breathing, focus on something else that doesn't revolve around the Kishin.

For every breath I take, the sound of the Kishin reduces and the sound of my heart's powerful beats echo in my ears. The sound of oxygen filling my lungs to the strong and steady heartbeat that pumps out the blood. My eyes almost widen when I feel an unfamiliar wave. My heart beats hard at my sudden shock and there it is again, another wave. My heart beats again and another wave comes, I know what this is. This is my soul. It feels so unlike my heartbeat, while I feel my heart beat, my soul is like a gentle wave hitting my skin. Is this what Soul wanted me to find?

"Maka." Hiro snaps me out and the waves of my own soul stops caress my skin. "We are going to head out. Remember, run, don't look back."

I nod slowly. "Right." I'm ready.

The dinning guests in the restaurant look even weirder at me. They must have thought I got a panic attack or something.

Hiro opens the door out of the restaurant and the Kishin growls loudly. Hiro quickly fish up his knife out of his pocket and he blocks me from the Kishin. Quickly I get behind him and starts running in full speed toward the fast food restaurant. Just looking outside of a window is much difference than actually being outside.

It is much cooler outside and the darkness is thicker and scarier. The moon stares down at me and the sound of the leaves rustling gives me the chills. All that is missing is chains and white sheet monsters. If Kishins exists, then maybe ghosts do too.

A gasp escapes my throat when suddenly _another_ Kishin pops up right in front of me. This Kishin doesn't have a carrot nose like my Kishin has, this one has a short dog-like nose which almost goes _inwards_ in its head with a bright purple nose. Its eyes are red as the other one.

It gurgles loudly and saliva mixed with blood pours from its mouth. That is when I notice the fresh blood around its mouth and knife- like claws.

It has eaten someone's soul.

It roars loudly and swings its mighty knifes toward me.

I let out a high pitched scream and I jump away from it. "Hiro!" I scream loudly and I see he is too busy with his own Kishin. He blocks the Kishin with his knife while he glows a faint white color around him.

"Maka!" He yells while he tries to get the Kishin off of him. "Look out!"

I gasp loudly when the claws hit the ground where I had just been barely a second ago. The Kishin hovers over me and saliva drips onto my shirt, completely soaking it. Disgusting!

The Kishin roars loudly and he lifts his claws high and I squeeze my eyes shut, covering my face with my arms. I let out a loud scream, but his claws never cut me open. Instead I heard metal meeting metal. My eyes slowly crack open and I see a leather covered back and a tussle of white hair and his body glows a white color as well.

"S-Soul." I stutter.

With his dagger he pushes the Kishin away from me and spins it in his hand. "Get up." He says roughly without turning toward me. "Are you hurt? Did it cut you?"

"N-no."

The Kishin leaps toward Soul and he skillfully blocks it. The Kishin doesn't stop there, he uses his other clawed hand and swings it toward Soul. He forces him to back toward me and I keep going backwards with him.

"Listen to me Maka." Soul grunt as he quickly fish up a knife from his boat and throws it right in the Kishin's eye, making it roar out in pain. "You need to get out of here. Now. Get into the first building you see and stay there. I will find you." My heart skips a beat. Even in these kinds of situation he can still make my knees buckle. Asshole.

"What about you and Hiro? Will you be okay?"

Soul growls when the Kishin wildly swings his claws at him. "We will be fine!" Soul's knife digs into the palm of the Kishin. "Just get out of here!"

I despise the idea about leaving them behind, but I know he is right. I'm just going to be in the way for them. My teeth find my lower lip and I sniffle. "Don't you dare loose to them." I don't wait for a reply, quickly I turn away from them both and start running away. Tears trickle down my cheeks and I swear my lip is bleeding. I really want to help them in some way. I feel so weak always hiding in my house. For once, I want to be brave and kill the Kishins. They are both fighting on my behalf, my Kishin waited for me to come and it found me, it might kill any of them. It might take their lives just like it took my mother's.

I wouldn't be able to live with myself if it killed Soul.

I gaps loudly and I shudder. When did it become so cold outside? It feels like someone threw me into a bathtub filled with ice water and ice cubes.

"Shit!"

"MAKA LOOK OUT!" Hiro curses and Soul shouts loudly.

Everything slows down. I turn my neck and I can feel every beat of my heart― no, the beat of my soul. A shadow grows over me, blocking out the moon, and that object, just has to be the Kishin that has been there every night of my life. It has its claws high up and it is just a few feet away from me. There is no way I can avoid it.

My bump hits the asphalt and my arms swing over my head in poor defense. Slowly it gets closer to me and on instinct, I close my eyes.

"MAKAAAA!" Soul screams loudly.

I don't want to leave Soul.

Tears trickle down my cheeks and I hear the Kishin land right above me and it growls loudly.

I don't want to die!

Instantly my skin heat up to an unbearable degree before I feel it all release off of my body. Spark crackle and sizzle and I hear the Kishin roars loudly and I find myself in darkness.


	10. Chapter X

**Eventide **

**Chapter X**

Everything had gone so quickly. One second I was running and the next I was on the ground with the Kishin on top of me, and the next second, I was gone, just drifting around.

Soul came to my mind, what will he think now when I'm dead? Would he be sad or mad? Most likely he would be mad because he lost his Grigori Meister, now he can't control me anymore. Maybe this was for the best for him, now he will finally be free from me and do whatever he wants.

It feels like someone punched me in my stomach. It hurts, I don't want him to be relieved about my sudden pass. I do like him, especially now when he has opened up to me, but there is still so much I want to know from him. It was wrong for me to lash out on him like that. It isn't my business to get into their fight, it wasn't about me so I shouldn't hold it against him. It is their thing to work out.

I regret it so much.

The darkness slowly goes away and is replaced with light. The light grows brighter and brighter and voices penetrate the silence.

"―aka."

"Are you for real? She actually did that?" Who is that? It sounds like a male's voice.

"Yeah, I know what I saw." That's Soul.

"Do you realize what crap she has gotten us into? This will put everyone in danger!" That's _Jaqueline._ Disgusting bitch.

I groan and I find myself looking up at a very high wooden ceiling with spider web where the leaning walls met each other.

"Maka." Tsubaki says and moves into my vision. "You are awake. It was about time."

I yawn and I support myself on my arms. Tsubaki lays her hand on my shoulder. "You shouldn't move too much. You got badly wounded and even if Stein healed you up, it will still hurt a little and be sore."

"What are you t―" I let out a chocked cry. My stomach twig with pain and immediately I lay down in the comfortable covers of the bed.

How am I alive? What wound?

"I know what you are thinking." Soul says and he moves toward me, taking a seat on the bed with his hands in his pockets. Why isn't he touching me? Is it because Jaqueline is here? I could really need just holding his hand. "Hiro is fine and both Kishins are dead. He went home after the fight ended." Oh Hiro wouldn't just walk away like that from me. Soul must have been quite mean toward him if he just left. Who knows what they got into when I was out.

"What is the last thing you remember?" Tsubaki asks quickly.

I raise my eyebrow and look at her. "I don't really know. I remembered everything turned really, _really_ cold and then the Kishin was on top of me, then I was wrapped up in unbearable warmth and then everything turned dark." My eyes narrows. This is the right time. "And why didn't you tell me there is a fourth Meister type. If you thought I was a Grigori, then why didn't you tell me about it?"

"I can answer that." Soul says, not looking into my eyes. "Remember when the Kishin had cut you in your leg?" Oh yeah, that. My leg had been mysteriously healed when I was supposed to change the bandages. "You had been overwhelmed with the information. I couldn't just keep drowning you in more, especially with something like this. You needed time for yourself and when you were ready, I was going to tell you more."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, now tell her about what you saw. You can't keep this a secret from her, not when she is their main target." Kilik says. "We can't keep tiptoeing around the subject. Our suspicions were confirmed so now we need to deal with it."

Soul growls irritatingly. "Yes I will. Can we at least get some peace and quiet? Everyone doesn't need to stand here like snowmen. Go and work out or something."

"Actually," A blond girl with very long hair steps forward, "You promised you would handle the situation with her and you failed. Twice. I think we have every right to stay here and make sure you get the job done."

Huh? What does she mean? What exactly did he fail at doing with me?

Soul curses and runs his hand through his hair. "Just leave! That's an order! I _will_ tell her everything. It will be hard enough explaining it to her and she doesn't need to have an audience."

"You heard the man." Black*Star hollers. "Let's give them privacy. We all need to train after the night we all had." Black*Star pushes the Thompson sister away. Kilik rolls his eyes and grabs Chrona's arm and pulls him away. The rest leaves without any means of force. Except one little bitch.

"I'm staying." Jaqueline crosses her arms and stands her ground.

"For the love of―" Soul growls and stands up from the bed. "You aren't going to stay. Now stop being difficult and go and join the others in the gym."

Jaqueline's face turns first to hurt before her eyes spark with anger. Her anger is then directed at me, she gives me the most hateful look she can muster before she snorts and walk away from us.

"I'm staying." I turn toward my right and I almost gasp in shock. There is a grey haired man standing behind me with a giant _screw_ going through his head! He has stitches going through his face and he wears a giant white _lab coat_, not a doctor's rob! What the heck is he?! "I think I'm the most suitable to explain her medical condition."

Soul sighs and takes a seat again on the bed. "Sure, whatever."

"And I'm stay too." I look right behind me and I see Soul's brother Wes stands behind me. "You know my presence here is needed. I need to make sure she has all the information she needs and make sure you do your job properly."

I hear a small sneer coming from Soul. "I chose to not tell you anything about the Grigories because you are a smart girl. I know you would draw some parallels between you and Grigori Meisters and you weren't ready to deal with that kind of information." Soul ignores Wes and keeps explaining. "Before I tell you what happened when we fought the Kishins, you need to know for us to be able to kill a Kishin, we are not only required to use Soul Force, we need to be in the spiritual world where the Kishins residence in order to kill them. By entering the spiritual world, we need to switch place between our heart and soul, and that way we switch between a physical body and our spiritual one." Soul's eyes meet with mine for the first time, and I know why his left eye is bruised. It is a deep purple color. He didn't get that during the fight with the Kishins. Hiro must have done it. "When we are in spiritual world, we are exposed to their world and that is why everything feels so cold since we don't have the warm of our physical body."

"So that was what I was feeling? I turned to my spiritual body?" I ask and Soul nods. Soul's hand gets out from his pocket and his hand finds mine. I almost want to scream in joy when his warm fingers entwine with mine and I find myself utterly at peace.

"Yes. Somehow you managed to find your soul and manage to switch to your spiritual body. That is when the Kishin drove itself insane. Your wavelength was exposed and it got pass Hiro and ran for you. When it got to you, it dug its claws into your stomach and that is when you used Soul Force on it. Your whole body lit up instead of just your hand, the Kishin turned to ashes before the Soul Force even hit him." Soul's thumb caresses my hand and I squeeze his hand back, showing that I encourage us to hold hands.

"What does this mean for me?" I ask.

A spark of sadness flies in his eyes and he let down his poker face. He bites his lower lip and slowly he shakes his head. "This means you are in danger like never before. You switched into your spiritual form in the middle of the city, meaning you exposed everyone your wavelength, every Kishin inside of the city felt your wavelength and now they know there is a Grigori. Kishins will drive toward the city which will put the civilian in danger. Other Meisters will pick up on this and they will hunt for you as well. You aren't just in danger for Kishins, but for Meisters as well." Soul squeezes my hand and he moves closer to me. "That is why I'm h― _we_ are here. We want to protect you. I consider you a part of my group and we take care of each other."

Tears burn my eyes.

My whole life I put my family and friends in danger, the few friends I had at least. My mother _died_ because of me and my father is an alcoholic because of me. He hates me because of me.

And now, I put the whole city in danger because of me. I put innocent people in danger of the Kishins and I put Soul in danger. I'm a burden to everyone.

"Maka." Soul whispers and he reach over to me, wiping away tears I didn't know were there. "Tell me what is on your mind." His hand gently caresses my cheek and I lean into his touch. I shouldn't be this attached to someone who isn't my boyfriend.

"Okay!" Wes exclaims. "Stein, I think you will have to explain some other time, these two obviously need some time alone." Stein is about to protest but Wes quickly drags him away from Soul and I.

"I feel like a burden. For my whole life I put my family in danger and my mother died because of me. Now I have put so many innocent people in danger, I don't know how I'm going to deal with everything." I sniffle and more tears trickle down my cheeks.

Soul quickly wipes away my tears. "Then protect them, learn how to control your soul and fight Kishins with everything you got. You can save lives with your powers. You can run away but what will that do? You will get more people killed that way than staying and fighting against them."

Soul's eyes pierce mine. His eyes are so strong and filled with fire, the fire to keep fighting. My heart fills with joy and I feel, just maybe, maybe I can actually be a Meister. Maybe I can actually protect people.

"Do you really think I can be a Meister? Do you really think I can do it?"

Soul chuckles and moves closer to me, only a small amount of air separates us. "Of course I do. I have never doubted you." Soul smiles a real smile, not his damned smirk or anything, a real smile with his lips and his eyes. "The sun is up. The Kishins are gone for now."

My eyes widen. My father. Oh my! He must have sobered up by now! "Oh no!" I exclaim and get up too quickly since my stomach jabs with pain. Soul quickly lowers me down on the bed.

"Relax Maka. You can call your father and say you are with Tsubaki. You aren't fully healed yet to be moving around."

"Then get Tsubaki or Stein and get me fully healed! I have to leave! My father must be worried―" That is a lie. I know my father wouldn't be concern, he wouldn't even notice I was gone. All he does is work and drink. That is all he does and quite frankly, he should hate me for letting him drink for my own benefit. I let him drink so he will be too drunk to leave the house at night. I'm an awful daughter. "Just forget what I said."

Soul slowly nods, looking confused at me, but he did let it go. "When you are ready to talk about your family, I'm ready for it." Soul drops his hands from my cheeks and his eyes also drops, but they stay at our hands. "But there is something I want to talk about." Soul lifts his eyes and he looks into mine with sorrow. "I want to come clean about something."

I raise my eyebrow and look confused at him. "What is it?"

"You have to promise you will hear me out. You can't interrupted me or question me, you have to hear everything out before you say anything. Clear?"

Geez, he sounds like the Soul that leads his gang, not the Soul knew, although, through that, I can see the twinkle of fear in his eyes. "Okay, I promise."

Soul inhales deeply as if to gather strength. "I lied to you about cheating on you. I was never with Jaqueline. That same afternoon I was here at the barn with the others. There had been activities of another Meister group around Death City and we didn't want them to grow suspicious of you, so they all told me to break up with you in order to protect you―"

My eyes widen, but I don't interrupt him. I had given him my word and I intend to keep it, but, this. I had no clue he would tell me this. My heart beats fast and I feel like crying, if it is tears of joy or sorrow, I have no idea.

"― didn't want to lie to your or break up with you. That was the least I wanted. I would rather take you to the barn and keep you there until they had gone away, but I knew keeping you away from us was the greatest disguise for you." Soul squeezes my hand and he pushes hair strands behind my ear. His face is so close to mine. "These few days apart from you made me open my eyes. I know I was gone a lot because of Meisters stuff, but hearing you say that you didn't know me, it really made me realize how little you actually knew me and how much I wanted you to know me." His finger follows my jaw before he gently cups my cheek. "What my biggest discovery was just how attached I had gotten to you. I discovered that I did not just like you or had a small crush on you, I came to discover that I'm very close at falling terribly in love with you."

That is the moment I actually think my heart leaped out of my chest and left me. Did he just say what I thought he said? So he doesn't just like me, he is falling in love with me while I just like him even though I don't know him. How can he be so attached to me?

"Okay, can you say something? Anything really." Soul says. His cheeks are pink as he gently scratches his cheek. He is insecure! Him! Soul Eater! He is nervous around _me_ of all people! Wow, that is kind of… astonishing.

"I don't really know what to say." I confess. "It's just, you really hurt me when you lied to me."

"I know and I'm very sorry. Please, let me make it up to you. I can take you out on a date and I promise I will be upfront about everything. You will get to know me for who I actually am and maybe we could start off our relationship again." Soul says. His eyes sparkle with hope. His jaw is tense, he is waiting for my answer.

What should I say? Do I even want to get back together with him? Oh, who the heck am I kidding, I have wanted him back and now when it proves to have been fake, I want him back right _now._ It would be unethical of me to go back to him without truly knowing who he is, maybe I will wait with getting back together with him and see where things go after this date. Who knows, it could spark something new.

"Okay, I will give you another chance, but we aren't going to get together until I get to know you better." I lean toward him and smile playfully, poking his nose. "If you stand me up this time without an explanation, you bet I will kick your ass to the curb."

Soul looks alarmed when I poked his nose, totally unprepared for it. A large grin grows on his face and he cups my face. "Deal. You bet I won't ever stand you up again." Soul's lips collide with mine and his lips move eagerly against mine, which I full-heartedly return without any doubts clouding my mind.


	11. Chapter XI

**Eventide **

**Chapter XI**

"No, no, Maka." Soul sighs impatiently. "You have to use it like it is an extension of yourself, not like a damned stick." Soul rubs the bridge of his nose. "I have gone over this plenty of times. Shouldn't you be able to do it by now?"

I pant heavily, lying on the ground inside of the sparing ring with my dagger lying beside me forgotten. "It isn't easy!" The poor excuse for clothes he'd chosen are drenched with sweat and I stink worse than the toilet in the morning after my father has thrown up in there. I still can't believe how he managed to convince me to wear short and tight shorts which practically shows off my butt. Not to forget the short tank top that ends above my belly button and shows off my greens sports bra that peeks up from the hem. Damn perverted Soul. "I have never dealt with any weapons before! It was the first time I held a sword in class! You can't blame me for sucking!"

Soul breaks out laughing and he kneels down in front of me, putting his dagger away. "Maybe I'm not motivating you enough." A large smirk spreads on his face. "For every time you manage to block and counterattack, I will give you a kiss―"

"Deal!" Okay, maybe I agreed a little too fast.

Soul chuckles and offers me his hand. "You were very eager." I grab his hand and he hoists me up on my feet. "Just because you were so eager you will get a sample of your success." Soul's lips meet mine in a quick kiss. Obviously teasing me. "Now, show me you can do it."

When I walked inside of the barn today, I had no idea it would be this hard to handle a dagger. The way Soul and Hiro had handled their knives back outside of the restaurant, it was amazing. They were so calm and collected, they knew exactly what to do, when to do it. I never thought it would be this intense just to learn how to handle a dagger. I can't even learn the basics without running into a wall.

As expected, when Soul comes at me with his dagger, he moves too fast for me to even react to and he end up holding his dagger toward my neck. "Are you even trying?"

I look away from him and slap the dagger away from my neck. "I try but you move way too fast for me to even react to."

Soul chuckles while he gently shakes his head. "Maka, I'm moving really slowly. You should be able to react, you managed to dodge the Kishin's attacks and they were a lot faster than mine. You aren't focusing at the moment." Soul's hand touch mine and he gently takes the dagger from me. "Let's take a break and we will move on to soul control then. Go and drink plenty of water. You need it." He then turns away from me and walks away with both of the daggers.

After all of that training, I really do need the water to sooth my dry throat. I walk toward the drinking fountain. I hold down the lever and quickly drink the water. It feels really good when the water run down my throat.

"You know you aren't welcome here." I straighten and look behind me, and what a surprise, Jaqueline stands there. "No one wants you here. Not even Soul. You are just a nuisance to all of us."

If you want to go there then game fucking on. "You can say whatever you want but I won't believe you. Soul wants me and you are just jealous that he wants me instead of you."

Jaqueline narrows her eyes and cross her arms over her chest. "Oh, if you didn't hear, I fucked him good plenty of times when you two were together." If she wants a fight, then I'm going to give her one.

"I know that is a lie. I believe Soul more than you and the fact that he is rather with me than you shows me that he doesn't feel anything romantically toward you." I move toward her. "And you know what?"

I didn't believe she could narrow her eyes even more, they are small slits. Can she even see or are her eyes shut? "What?" She sneers.

"You are out of his heart and I'm his girlfriend who he actually loves." I may have bent the truth a little.

Jaqueline snaps. She let out a high pitch screech and bares her nails. She jumps at me and we tumble against the drinking fountain before I hit the ground hard with Jaqueline on top of me. Quickly she straddles my stomach and her fist smashes into my jaw. She isn't kidding.

At least I got a reaction from her.

My fist connects with her stomach and the air in Jaqueline's lungs is forced out of her lungs. I take the opening and quickly grab her hair and flip us around so I'm on top. I raise my fist and without getting a single punch at her, I'm ripped away from Jaqueline.

"Calm down Maka." Soul whispers into my ear as he presses me against his chest.

Kilik holds Jaqueline and she screeches loudly. Her eyes are glistering with tears and a large frown on her face.

My stomach drops and I realize in that moment, she is still very much in love with Soul. She loves him and she hates the fact that Soul is with me now. And I rubbed it in her face and hurt even more.

"I'm sorry Jaqueline."

She looks utterly surprised, but it is quickly replaces with anger. "I don't care about your stupid apology." She rips herself away from Kilik and quickly walks away from us.

"What was that about?" Soul asks while he releases me from his grip.

I meet his eyes. My body melts deliciously just looking into them. It is almost like his scarlet eyes were heaters which warm up my frozen body. "It is stupid."

"I still want to know."

"Okay." I sigh loudly. "She said I wasn't welcomed here and it all turned about you, I said some very stupid things and she was mad and sad. That is why we fought."

Soul chuckles and he crosses his arms over his bare chest. So he has dumped the shirt. Damn tease. "As hot as it is to have two girls fighting over me, especially with one of them being you, this isn't good. She is right. You're new in our group and you are fresh to this world. They aren't sure they can trust you with their lives." Soul sighs and moves closer to me. "I was going to talk to you about this later, but I guess right now is as good as later."

I raise my eyebrow.

Soul grabs my hand. "People doubt you. They don't think you are as dedicated as the rest of us. They aren't willing to put their lives in your hands and quite frankly, if I let you out at night, I'm afraid you would die."

My eyes widen. "What?! My mother _died_ because of a Kishin! My father is an alcoholic because of my mother's death! He hates me because I failed to protect my mother! My family is _broken_ because of that Kishin! My whole _life_ has been in isolation and in sadness because of that Kishin! I think I'm damned motivated to fight them!" My eyes prickle with tears and I don't even realize that everyone inside of the barn is looking at me. My tears spill over and I quickly wipe them away. "I'm sorry." There is no use, the tears keep coming. "I need a moment alone." Turning on my heel, I rush out of the barn and slam the door shut behind me. The tears trickle down my cheeks and a large lump grows in my throat. I walk away from the barn and into the forest that surrounds the barn.

I had snapped. I don't even know where I found the strength or whatever it was to just pour everything about my family life and my past. Everything had just come pouring out of my mouth.

I cross my arms over my chest. I feel so cold and exposed. It doesn't help with the cold wind and the lack of warmth in the air. The sun offers no warmth and neither is the shelter of the forest. How am I supposed to deal with this now? This sudden confession of mine. Everybody will definitely question about my family, especially about my father. I can't take that, my father doesn't deserve to be involved in this.

My eyes widen. The crowns of the forest did already block out a lot of light, but it has suddenly grown darker, way too dark. My eyes snap up toward the ends of the trees and my heart stops. I see the sun slowly setting and the moon is growing more visible.

This isn't supposed to happen! It is just afternoon! It isn't supposed to grow dark until a couple more hours!

A loud roar echoes throughout the forest. My blood freezes in my veins and two bright red eyes light up the darkness as soon as the sun disappears and the moon looms over me sinisterly through the tree tops.

"Maka…"

My eyes widen even more. That Kishin. It just spoke to me.

"Please don't hurt me." I take a step backwards, away from the glowing eyes. "Think rationally, you don't need to hurt me." Am I stupid for trying to talk some sense into a _Kishin?_ Yeah, I am.

The Kishin roars loudly and the eyes move closer to me. I gasp loudly and I start running deeper into the forest. The darkness is too thick for me to see properly. Tree branches slam into my face and claws at the shameful clothes.

The Kishin roars loudly. The sound of a tree breaks and I hear the screech of it and then a large pang as it hits the ground. I pant heavily as I keep running, running as fast as my legs allows me. Branches hit me in the face so hard I can feel they leave scratches behind.

The moon provides poorly light for my eyes and the objects appear a split second in front of me, which leaves little time to avoid them.

My shoulder hit a tree and I stubble a little before I keep running.

The Kishin growls while he keeps chasing me. The claws of metal clatters against each other and I hear it stomp after me, breaking branches and rustling leaves. It sounds so close to me. It almost feels like I can feel it pant in my neck and smell its hideous smell.

I gasp loudly when I stumble on a root and a branch catch the hem of my shorts and rips it. I hit hard on the ground and I must have hurt my knee in the fall since it suddenly starts throbbing with pain and I feel something trickle down my leg. It must be blood. I can't run, not with this knee.

The Kishin growls and I feel something wet drip onto my leg. "Maka…" It sneers and I hear leaves crunch. Just beside me. The Kishin is right over me.

My soul! I need to kill it! I managed before, I can do it again! My soul, I need to feel it. Okay, feel the soft waves of it and hopefully I will stumble onto the Soul Force again.

I close my eyes and focus on my soul, all I can feel is my own heartbeat, not my soul. My heartbeat speeds up as I hear the Kishin growl and move closer to me.

I can't find it! I'm screwed!

"Maka!" That's Soul.

The Kishin roars loudly and I gasp loudly when I feel its large claws pick me up and put me on its shoulders.

"Let me go!" I exclaim, punching it in the back and kicking it in the chest. "Stupid Kishin! Let me go!" I yell loudly.

The Kishin drops me and I tumble on the ground. It roars loudly in pain.

"Maka! Are you okay?!" Soul yells. It sounds like it comes from above me. I hear the sound of a knife or a dagger, something with a sharp blade. The two large red eyes glow in the darkness moves irregular, swinging from side to side before it grows loudly and they move toward the right before they disappear.

"I'm fine." I say and I hear Soul moving closer to me.

"No. You are hurt. I smell copper." I gasp and my eyes widen when I see Soul's hand suddenly spark. Is he going to use Soul Force on me? "I need to do this. It won't hurt that bad. I will see you as soon as you wake up." The last thing I know is Soul's hand connecting with my stomach and I'm out like a light again.


	12. Chapter XII

**Eventide**

**Chapter XII**

As soon as I woke up, I find myself on my bed inside the comfort of my own bedroom. The moon is up and it is dark outside. The sound of the Kishin stomping outside of my window is gone, now after all of these years, it is way too quiet without the Kishin patrolling outside of my window. Next to my bed I found a note with my name on it. I unfold it and read it.

_When you read this, call me. I don't care how late it is or how early it is in the morning. We need to talk._

_ Soul OXOX_

I put the note down and I find my phone beside it. It doesn't take long for me to find Soul's contact, I see he has mixed with it since this is what it says; _Soul Eater your bf ;*_. Oh man. I don't even know how I'm supposed to react to this. Am I supposed to be happy that he addressed himself as my boyfriend, or should I be annoyed that he says things when he knows we are just friends at the moment who just try to get to know each other and see if there actually is a spark between us? There is already a spark, I already know that and Soul likes me, we can get together now, but I need to know more about Soul before that happens. Girlfriends and boyfriends are supposed to really know each other enough to predict their movements and actions. I really would want that with Soul, but at the moment I don't know him well enough to engage into a relationship with him again.

I call Soul and it only takes three rings before he answers. "Slept well Sleeping Beauty?"

I blush at the name. "You wanted me to call. What is it you want to talk about?"

Rustles of leaves sounds from the speaker along with branches. Is he outside? "Okay, I will be over in ten."

"Wait! Hold on! Stay inside! What if a Kishin attacks you?"

Soul chuckles, oh such a sweet chuckle. "Don't worry your pretty face about me. I will be fine. I need both my hands to drive my bike. I will see you soon." Soul then hung up on me.

I was on the edge the whole time, I chewed on my lower lip as I tap my finger against the night stand. I fear for his life, what is the possibility of him running into a Kishin? I know from my own experience as soon as I have went outside, Kishins have attacked me as soon as I have stepped outside of my house or any building, but then again, Soul isn't a Grigori. I have seen people walk pass my house without the Kishin attacking them. It is kind of a yes no scenario, all I can do is cross my fingers and hope for the best.

I had expected a knock on the door, not exactly a loud thud, outside of my window and I see Soul smirking wide at me while he clutches onto the bricks on the wall. My heart had literally jumped up in my throat as I quickly rip my window open. "What are you doing, idiot! You can f―"

Soul cuts me off by jumping onto my bed and smashes his lips against mine. Gently he cups my cheek while he pulls me closer to his chest. He taste of spices and mint, it could be toothpaste but I'm not sure, all I know is I like it.

He pulls away from me and rests his forehead on mine. "Sorry, I really needed that."

"Why?"

Soul chuckles and his thumb caress my hip. "Why? Because I thought I would be too late and all the damage dealt to you was just cuts and a bleeding knee. I'm happy that you are alright and well." Caringly, he pulls me to his chest and rests his head on top of mine. "There is something I need to talk to you about."

"What is it?" I inhale his sweet spicy scent and I feel so safe in his arms.

"I just had a slight suspicion before, but now it is confirmed. There is a Kishin that has devoured enough souls to turn from a Kishin to a human. It has brains enough to control its instincts. When we were inside of the forest, it had no interest in devouring your soul, it wanted to kidnap you." Soul murmurs into my ear. "And that isn't all. This Kishin is strong enough to control the moon. It can make the sun go away and bring out darkness whenever it wants for a specific time. I don't know for the exact amount of time, but to be on the safe side, we have to assume it can make it dark until the real nightfall."

I feel nausea. Everything is spinning and the corner of my vision turns darker. The darkness stays away due to Soul's scent and his strong arms around me.

"What does this mean? Why does it want me?"

"I think you already know that. The Kishin obviously wants your soul, but I do find it weird that it wanted to take you with it instead of killing you on the spot. If it only wanted your soul, then you would be dead right now. Something isn't adding up, but one thing is clear, you are not going to go outside without me."

I find my arms are shaking― my whole body is shaking. This is insane, I have lived a quiet life and now with all this drama, I think I'm going to be overwhelmed and have a meltdown if this doesn't stop.

"Can I ask you some questions?"

"Of course you can, ask away."

"How did you find me inside of the woods?"

Soul chuckles and I hear him inhale my scent. "Meisters can do a cool thing called Soul Perception. We can look at people's souls from a certain range. I heard the Kishin inside of the forest, so I ran inside and used my Soul Perception. I found your soul along with the Kishin's, so I turned to my spiritual form and ran as quick as I could."

"Are Meisters able to run super-fast as well? From what I heard, you moved so fast."

Soul nods against my head. "Yeah, since we are in spiritual form we don't have physical limits. It is our souls that limits our speed and strength and let me tell you, we are _way_ faster than we are in our physical form."

I giggle and I clutch onto Soul's leather jacket. I had once worn it on a date. It had been chilly and Soul had offered me it. That was the first time I had seen that Soul could actually be very gentlemanly. He is more like a bad boy, but he can be a gentleman if he wants to and I'm very happy that I'm the one who can bring that out of him.

"Maka I―"

My bedroom door slams open and my father stands there with an empty bottle of vodka. His eyes are half lidded and he is very unstable on his feet, he is so unsteady he has to support himself on my doorframe.

I freeze. I'm on my _bed_ with a _guy_ and he has his _arms around me._ We are very much cuddled up. Oh dear, how am I supposed to deal with this?!

"Give me alcohol." His words are slurred and I can barely make out what he is saying. "I know you have more."

My eyes widen and I quickly snap my eyes toward Soul. He grins wide at me, flashing his sharp teeth. I notice the white glow around him and the warmth and his solid body is gone, of course. He is in his spiritual form that is why my father can't see him.

"If you aren't going to give me alcohol, I'm going to go out and get alcohol myself."

Oh no. "I will give you some." I quickly shoot up from my bed and starts searching in my drawer. Underneath my clothes I find a vodka bottle. "Here, make it last at least tomorrow night."

My father snatches it from my hand and he unscrews the cap and takes a large gulp of it. "You don't tell me what to do, bitch. I know you are the one who killed her. I'm ashamed to call you my daughter." He hicks and he stumbles toward the door. "Just you wait, I'm going to kick you out of my house one day." He slams the door shut.

Soul gets up from the bed and he grabs my hand. "I knew you had a tough relationship with your father, but I didn't know it was this tough."

I sniffle and tears prickle my eyes. "Please, I don't want to talk about this."

"It is okay, you don't have to talk about it if you aren't ready." Soul gently tugs me toward my bed and we take a seat on it. "But I do want to talk about that date we have been talking about."

I smile and a dry laugh escapes my lips. Did he just make me smile when I was on the verge of tears? He is a good guy. "Okay, have you already planned it?"

Soul chuckles and he wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him. "Maybe. You need a break away from everything. From this whole Kishin and Meister thing. I think it would be good for you to feel like an ordinary girl since I ripped you into this whole thing without your consent. I can't say an exact day when it will take place, but I can promise you it will happen very soon."

I giggle and I rest my head on his shoulder. "So you are telling me when it happens, you will just pick me up and take me on this date?"

"Pretty much."

I smile and I turn my head toward his neck. "I would like that." My voice falls and I plant a kiss on the crook of his neck, kissing his pulse.

"It is late." Soul says and he caresses my waist. "You should probably go back to bed."

"Can you please stay the night?" The words pour out of my mouth without my consent. "I don't mean it like that! I mean like, um, you know, so you don't get hurt when you are outside. A Kishin could come and―"

"Relax Maka, I get it." He gently grabs my chin and forces me to look into his eyes. "I can stay and I promise I won't force myself on you. That isn't cool."

I smile and nods, a newfound happiness grows inside of me but also, a newfound nervousness. "Wait here and don't you dare peek." I get up from my bed and grab my pajama from my chair where I always keep my clothes on. I lock myself inside of my bathroom and gets change into my pajama. At the moment, I wish I had actually cared when I bought my shorts, they are a little transparent which will allow Soul to see my light blue panties with a cute ribbon on it. My large t-shirt covers a little of the shorts, but he will still be able to see my panties. Why does this feel so… intimate? He will sort of be the first one to see my panties, but at the same time not.

I take a deep breath and look at myself, the childish pigtails in my hair. Don't be a coward. He does like you and he won't do anything bad, this is Soul we are talking about. The one person who has always jumped in front of me to save me.

The door creaks open and I step outside, my cheeks heat up to an unbearable temperature. Soul lies on the bed, with his jacket lying on the floor along with his shoes. He smiles toward me and lifts up the corner of the blanket. "Are you going to stand there or are you going to go to bed?"

My cheeks heat up and I stroll over to the bed and lay down. Soul wraps the blanket around me while he is lying on it. "Don't you want the blanket?"

Soul shakes his head while he wraps his arms around me. "Nah, if I were to lie under the blanket, I know I would do something stupid."

My cheeks must be rivaling tomatoes because they are unbearable hot. I'm lucky it is dark inside of my room.

"Soul?"

"Hmm?"

"Is it okay if I ask some questions? They aren't any questions about meisters, they're about you."

"Ask away, I don't mind."

I should be ashamed for even thinking about this. "Was your first time good?"

Soul chuckles gently into my ear. "That is your first question? You really want to know about my sex life?"

I blush madly and I jab my elbow into his ribcage, causing him to pant in pain. "Shut up. Forget I even asked you."

"It was awkward." Soul ignores my dismissal. "We both had no clue what we were doing. She was in a lot of pain and as the little virgin I was, I lasted about ten seconds."

I giggle and turn toward him, feeling his breath hit my face and his strong aroma all around me. "Really?"

Soul nods. "Yeah, it was very uncool. But we both wanted to do it and we did."

"It sounds like you two were close. Was she your first love?" Stupid! You shouldn't be asking these kinds of questions! His answers will only hurt me! I can feel my stomach growing tight and the lump in my throat expanse.

"Yeah, she was my first real girlfriend and my first love." Soul crawls on top of me and the only thing keeping us apart is the blanket. "She is gone. You don't have to worry about her. It was years ago and I haven't seen her in a very long time. My eyes are set on you and only you. You are the one who holds my heart and it is you who I want to be with."

"Soul." His eyes are so red and his lips so close to mine. I want to kiss him.

"I know we aren't official, but I do consider you my girlfriend and think of myself as very much taken." He rests his forehead against mine. "I know I love you. I really do love you and I will wait forever for you to return those words." He loves me. That is the first time he has ever uttered those words to me. It is the first time he even had me in the same sentence as love. I don't know if I'm supposed to be happy or frighten, he is this emotionally attached to me while I still hold no feelings toward him.

"Soul."

"Yeah?"

"You are crushing me." It is hard to breathe when he has his full weight on me.

"Oh," Soul quickly gets off me and lies beside me. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it." I take deep breaths while Soul snuggles close to me.

"Maka?"

"Yeah?"

"For future references, I like lacy panties with ribbons but blue cotton panties are cool too if that makes you comfortable."

My cheeks heat up and as I try to free my arm, Soul tightens his grip on me and the blanket successfully traps my arms. "Soul! You perv!"

"Hey, it isn't me who walk around with shorts as transparent as plastic."


End file.
